In Dreams
by LastCetra
Summary: Loosely based on Adevnt Children. Cloud is living in Midgar, and in the past few months has started having nightmares, each one to do with Aeris. What do they mean? Why have they only started now? Advent Children spoilers. CloudAeris Epilogue up, now fini
1. Chapter 1

**In Dreams**

_**By LastCetra**_

**Chapter 1**

Cloud was running. He was in a beautiful meadow, filled with spring flowers and fresh green grass. He had never felt so happy. His whole surroundings had never been touched with sadness. Everything here was perfect, pure, even innocent. The flowers bent forward in a gentle breeze that seemed to whisper his name.

"_Cloud…"_

Amidst all this nature stood a solitary figure up ahead of him, laughing. The laugh wasn't a harsh one, it was both quiet and gentle. The figure, a woman, had her hands thrown outwards, as if she was inviting everyone to share in her happiness. Her light brown hair was unbound, streaming behind her in the breeze. Like Cloud it looked as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"Aeris!" he cried happily, his run turning into a sprint as soon as he recognised her.

"Cloud, get your lazy ass over here! I've been waiting for ages. You are so slow!"

Cloud stopped in his tracks and looked at her, his head cocked to the side.

"Excuse me, but I am _not _lazy. As I can clearly remember, it was you who had a tough time keeping up with me in Midgar remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," she answered, brushing his comment off. She folded her arms defiantly. "Then how is it that I am here before you? It shows that I'm faster at least. Well you'd better hurry up cause I'm not coming to get you. This is the best part of the meadow. It's so beautiful here, the flowers remind me of the ones I grew in Midgar." She looked over at Cloud. "Will you stop standing there? Come _on_!"

With a huge grin on his face Cloud set off once more. Aeris held her hand out to him. She called to him again, her voice being carried by the wind.

"_Cloud." _

It wasn't the wind that was whispering his name. It was Aeris. Cloud ran faster, his feet going so fast one couldn't be sure weather they touched the ground or not. He even extended his hand so he could be with her that second earlier.

Without warning a massive split in the ground opened underneath him, making him fall backwards. He felt lucky that he did fall backwards, otherwise he would have had to face a long drop down. The rift was so deep he couldn't even see the bottom. Nothing except an inky blackness. He looked left and right. It looked as if there was no way around it either; the crack stretched for miles and miles in both directions.

He glanced at Aeris. She looked back at him, a smile still on her face. She looked so beautiful. She was wearing a pure white, sleeveless dress that fell to just above her knees. It was perfect on her, and gave her a new sense of depth that he had never seen in her before. A light shimmered all around her, a total contrast to the dark that separated them. Her hands were clasped tightly in prayer and the smile on her face was what brightness to the whole meadow. She was the source of all his daylight. To Cloud, Aeris was the sun.

"Think I could jump across?" he asked. Aeris laughed.

"It's okay Cloud," she said, her voice sounding very melodic for some reason. "I'll come and get you."

Cloud looked at her with a very sceptical expression on his face.

"Just in case you haven't noticed Aeris, there is one massive canyon that separates us. If I can't jump it then you can't either."

"Don't be like that Cloud. I know I can't jump it."

"Then how, exactly, are you going to come and get me?"

"I'll fly." she said simply.

Aeris leapt into the air, and two wings seemed to grow from her back. She spread them wide and flew higher into the air.

They were amazing; pure white, like her dress, with every feather shaped and defined perfectly. Cloud just had to stare in awe. He had never seen such beauty. Those wings; there was something so majestic about them, something angelic. But… at the same time, they were so earthly and natural. He didn't care to wonder on the details of this beauty, he just wanted to embrace it. Smiling, Cloud opened his arms to her.

"I'm on my way," she said, laughing happily as she started across the abyss. Cloud was surprised that she had no fear of the bottomless pit beneath her. To him it was a bit terrifying, if he fell into it, not knowing where he was falling, or for how long…

"Hey!" Aeris called. "This is a nice place, I don't want it ruined by your glum look. Now smile for heavens sake!"

Cloud tried to keep a straight face, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help tugging up into a smile.

"You okay now?" she asked.

Cloud was. In fact, nothing was wrong at all. He was here, so was Aeris, in this magnificent place. What could be wrong?

"I've never been happier," he replied sincerely. Aeris smiled and kept flying. She even did a little flip in the air for his amusement.

"Come on Aeris, stop messing around. I want you here, with me." Aeris stopped at his remark and looked at him questioningly.

"What, do you mean?" she asked

Cloud felt that this was both the time and the place to share his feelings. Things that he could never had said before seemed so easy to say now. He was finally ready. Ready to tell her was that she was the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. To tell her that he wanted to wake up next to her every morning. He was ready to tell her that he wanted to grow old with her, and that he loved her more than anything in the whole world.

"I meant exactly what I said Aeris. I want you here, next to me. Now and forever. I…"

His speech was interrupted by a shadow that fell across the whole meadow, covering everything in darkness. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. The only thing that was visible was Aeris, as bright and as beautiful as ever. Surprisingly enough, she hadn't noticed a thing. She was still looking at him in that same questioning manner.

The darkness left a chill that made him shiver both from the cold and something else that he couldn't quite place a finger on. It was something he knew he dreaded, but darkness only held things he couldn't see.

"Aeris, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can't see anything except you."

"You know, you could see everything if you tried. You're just relying on your eyes too much."

"Ugh, stop talking in riddles!" he cried, extremely frustrated.

"For heaven's sake Cloud, wake up! _Listen._"

Cloud decided he wouldn't question, and did what he was told. He closed his eyes and listened as hard as he could. He heard a "swish" noise, only faintly, but it was definitely there. Funny, the last time he had heard that noise was when…

Sephiroth had killed Aeris. That "swish" was the sound of the masamune swooping down and impaling her on it.

Cloud went rigid with fear. It couldn't be him, not Sephiroth.

"Aeris," he said, slowly but clearly so she would hear every word. "Get out of here, right now. Fly away. Sephiroth is coming!"

"I know he is," replied Aeris in a surprisingly calm voice, and started to fly again. She didn't seem even the smallest bit concerned. "But I've nothing to worry about, do I? You're my bodyguard. You'll protect me."

Those words were like daggers through his heart. How could he protect her if he couldn't even see?

"Aeris, I need your help. I can't even see anything, so how am I supposed to see Sephiroth?"

Aeris sighed. She stopped in mid-air and concentrated. Bringing her hands together, a little orb of light started to grow between them. It grew to about the size of a football, before she threw her hands in front of her. The orb spread across the sky as much as it could, turning the would be pitch darkness to a lighter, grey dusk.

And Cloud's worst nightmare was realised. It was Sephiroth. He also had a wing, only one, and it was ragged and black, not at all like Aeris' beautiful, perfect wings. He had his sword in hand, the sleek, shining steel of the masamune that almost looked like it was smiling like he was. His twisted, sardonic smile he always wore when he was going to kill. And his eyes were fixed on Aeris.

"Aeris, get out of here! He's right behind you!"

Aeris turned and saw him flying towards her. Her eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't realised how close he was.

"Aeris," Cloud pleaded, a touch of hysteria entering his voice. "What are you doing? Get out of the way! I can't reach you from here, I can't protect you from here either. So for God's sake MOVE!"

Aeris looked back at Cloud, and he saw her eyes brimming with sadness.

"Last time," she said quietly, "you came for me, and did all you could. I always considered you a hero because of that. But now…."

Aeris clasped her hands together and bowed her head. Cloud saw the green glow of her eyes fade as she closed them.

"…. you're afraid to do anything. What if it was a choice between you or me? What would have done then? What would you do now? "

Aeris' breath caught in her throat as the masamune was plunged into her back. Her wings were ripped instantly, the feathers mixing with the blood spilling from her perfect frame. Having lost the items that kept her airborne, she fell spiralling into the abyss below her.

Cloud was so caught up in his terror and grief he didn't notice that all the flowers had wilted, and the ground was now a dusty, barren wasteland. He ran to the edge and dived into the canyon after Aeris. He hit solid ground. Standing up, he saw it had sealed itself.

Sephiroth landed a few feet away from Cloud and calmly leaned on his sword.

"If only things could have been that easy," he said, shaking his head in the way a mother would scold a child. "If you had followed her in there, you would have seen her again. But because she's sealed in there, you won't."

Cloud willed himself to move, but all he could manage was to take one step towards Aeris's murderer. His eyes were burning with detestation for this man. If looks could kill, Sephiroth would be lying cold on the ground.

Sephiroth did not notice Cloud's display of emotion, or if he did, he made a great job of hiding it. In fact he continued as if Cloud had done nothing at all.

"She's still alive you know. That blow wasn't fatal. She is going to slowly starve, day after day until she dies. Well, that or suffocation. What's worse is she's going to be trapped in there forever. Her spirit can't return to the lifestream where she is, because that's hell." He laughed. Cloud could feel the manic sound ringing in his ears.

A raw cry ripped from Cloud's throat and he lunged at Sephiroth.

"You bastard!" he screamed. "You fucking bastard!" He slammed his leg into Sephiroth's chin, but it was like hitting a brick wall. Sephiroth didn't even flinch. Instead he swung his sword around and pierced Cloud's side.

Cloud stiffened, but he didn't scream. It was the least he could do to redeem himself. He looked down on the Masamune with disgust. This was the second time he had been impaled on this damn thing. It's weird how you think of the little things when you're dying.

Sephiroth slid the sword out of Cloud's body. Cloud, being fully supported by it, fell to his hands and knees. The pain seemed far less than the last time, even though the sword had penetrated further. Perhaps he didn't care anymore. He cast his head down in shame and defeat.

"You've beaten me Sephiroth," he said, his breath coming in short gasps. "Now just end it, please end it."

"My pleasure," he replied, lifting the Masamune high and swinging it down to Cloud's head.

Cloud jolted awake, bolting upright and letting his mouth open in a silent scream. His breathing came in rapid gasps, each breath trying to calm the racing heart in his chest. It took him several seconds to realise that he wasn't in a meadow, but the Church in the Sector Five slums in Midgar. He put his head in his hands and drew a few slow deep breaths.

"Just a dream Cloud," he reassured himself. "Just another dream." This was by no means his first, or second dream for that matter. They had all started a few months ago, about four to be precise. He always dreamt of Aeris, and it was always bad. For the past four months he had had to relive her death each night, by Sephiroth's hand, or by his own. It scared him to no end. He didn't know why they had just started four months ago, and he didn't know weather they were a sign of things to come or just… bad dreams.

Strangely, he didn't want them to stop. Even though they brought nothing but pain, he felt he deserved it because he'd failed to protect her. He felt he needed to be reminded of his failure or else he'd forget it, and if he forgot that, he'd forget Aeris. That was the last thing he wanted. Who would ever want to forget her, with her soft delicate features, the tumbling locks of auburn hair that framed her face, set off by those wondrous, sparkling emerald eyes. The amazing smile she would always wear, her little giggle, the way she looked under his hair to see his eyes, her generosity, her friendliness. What he'd do to just hug her once more, take in everything about her, like the way she always smelt of sweet honey and sugar. He wanted to see her pink dress again, he wanted to hear the rustling sound her jacket made when it brushed against it. Once he remembered the metal lining at the end caught on the dress and ripped it across. He had laughed as she quickly folded her arms across the exposed flesh, and desperately tried to find something to cover it up. He had given her his coat while adverting his eyes, but he didn't miss the unmistakable blush that flushed her cheeks.

It was a pity he couldn't remember those kind of things in his dreams. Instead, he only dreamt of her death, and each night they got worse. His gaze drifted to the pink ribbon on his left arm. He hadn't taken it off since the pact Avalanche made when they had landed the airship two years ago. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. They had all disembarked on the outskirts of Kalm in complete silence, nobody wanting to break the spell of what they'd just witnessed. Cloud remembered well; there had been no cheering, or hugging or slaps on the back, just… silence. The eight of them sat on the grass watching the lifestream recede and the small fires in Midgar slowly extinguish.

"_Everyone," Cloud spoke up. Seven faces looked in his direction. He looked at each of them in return._

"_The lifestream, erupting like that-"_

"_Yeah!" Barret interrupted. "Why did it just explode like that? It sure as hell wasn't our doin!"_

"_And how did it obliterate both Holy and Meteor?" Nanaki, aka Red XIII mused._

"_It was really cool!" Yuffie chipped in. "First it was like, really little, and then BOOM! Hundreds of little lifestreams went and exploded it together!"_

"_Way to go, squirt," Cid commented. "It's not like we just saw the damn thing five minutes ago." Yuffie stuck her tongue out in retaliation._

"_It doesn't matter weather we saw it five minutes ago or not," Cait Sith said, breaking up the impending fight. "What matters is the why. Did the planet sense holy as being a danger? Or was it just reacting to Meteor going crazy?"_

"_The planet can only heal itself with it's energy, not attack dangers," Tifa argued. "The weapons were created for that purpose, and they were all destroyed."_

"_I have a theory." Everyone looked at Vincent. "The lifestream is the planet's consciousness. My guess is that that consciousness was being manipulated to attack Meteor if Holy failed. But the real question is-"_

"_who." Tifa finished. Vincent nodded._

"_Aeris."_

_Seven faces looked at Cloud once more. This time, he didn't return their stare. His gaze was distant, staring off into space, looking at something the rest couldn't see._

"_It was her who manipulated the lifestream like that. She must have stayed there, ready to act if Holy failed." He paused. The emotion in his eyes was completely unreadable. _

"_She was the one that saved us all. It's all thanks to her that we, that the planet still exists."_

"_How do you know?" Tifa asked. "It could have been anything that did that." Cloud kept staring into space. A shadow of a smile crossed his features._

"_I just do," he replied. "I know it was her. I felt it, deep inside me. Not instinct, deeper than that. It was like I knew in my soul, that was Aeris's doing."_

"_Like when you dreamt about her in the Ancient Forest?" Barret asked. Cloud nodded._

"_Yeah."_

"_I believe you Cloud," Yuffie said quietly. "Now that you mention it, it does seem like she was always there, ready in case we ever screwed up."_

"_That's awfully deep for you," Barret jeered._

"_Oh just shut up!" she exclaimed. "Just because I like life doesn't mean I can't be serious every now and then. Do you actually think I'm a stereotypical ball of sunshine?"_

"_Don't get me started on what I really think of you, you materia swiper."_

"_Barret, please!" Tifa yelled. "Could you give it a break for one minute?"_

"_Let's make a pact," Cloud said, shattering the growing tension. _

"_What kind of pact?" Cait Sith asked._

"_Aeris did so much for us, I don't want us to just forget that. I think we should do something for her, you know, something to honour her memory."_

"_Like what?" Tifa asked. Cloud laughed._

"_I have no idea."_

_Silence resumed. Each member thought hard on what they could do._

"_How about we all come here once a year every year at this time?" Cid suggested. _

"_No, it's too predictable," came Cloud's reply. "As we get older I know this kind of promise won't keep. Things will happen, we'll have responsibilities and obligations that will tie us to certain places. I want us to make this pact simple, so that no matter where we are, or what we do or become in life, we'll be able to keep this promise. I also just want something, different. The plain old simple thing is not something I personally want to do." Cloud thought for a while longer._

"_I know!" he proclaimed. "Her favourite colour was pink, right? Let's all wear a pink ribbon on our left arm, like the one she had in her hair."_

"_I like that idea," Tifa said enthusiastically. "Let's do it." Her statement was followed by a several murmurs of agreement and nodding heads. _

"_Then it's settled." He held out his hand. Each of his friends piled theirs on top of his. He smiled._

"_For Aeris."_

A loud crash broke his train of thought. He leapt to his feet quickly and spun around, raising his fists in defence as his sword was too far away to reach. He almost laughed at himself when he saw that it was just a cat that had knocked over a wooden table. He looked at his watch. 4:10. Usually he woke at six or seven. Not bothering to fix the table he walked towards the back of the church, stopping at the flowers for a moment before he passed. Each one was beautiful, and he tugged a few of the growing weeds that had appeared. Even though it was night time he found he could see marginally well because of the Jenova cells in his body. The start of the whole cursed disease that was sweeping Gaia at the moment. His hand curled into a fist. Children were dying because of that _bitch_. Even though they had killed her two years ago, she _still_ managed to live on, her cells feeding off the orphans that Tifa was caring for, destroying their families. He couldn't count the number of times he saw Tifa's eyes filling with tears, and watching her blink them away so she'd look strong in front of the children. It mustn't have helped with him leaving like that…

He shook the thoughts away and walked into the back room. Manoeuvring around the debris (which he really had to start cleaning up one of these days, he _was_ living here after all) he made his way up the stairs, across the gap and onto the timber beams. They were starting to rot; constant exposure to the rain and elements was probably not a good thing. It certainly wasn't helping. Hopping across the more stable beams, he reached the hole in the roof. Looking back, he remembered fondly that this was the route they'd taken to escape from Reno. His first act as her bodyguard.

Cloud couldn't help all the memories flooding back. He rested his forehead on the space between his index finger and thumb, shutting out them out. He knew she was gone, he knew she wasn't coming back. He just couldn't help it. He willed his emotions to go back to where they came from. A place where no one could find or reach. Not even himself.

He walked outside, jumping from roof to roof towards the former playground with surprising agility. The warrior had not given up on his training in the past two years, he was still as fit as ever. He looked down at his clothing. The old look was gone, instead he had adopted a more… black look. Black trousers, black vest, gloves, shoes, everything except two silver buckles and a silver wolf that he wore on his left shoulder.

He was reaching the last few rooftops when a shriek feminine voice pierced through the still night air, assaulting his eardrums.

"Wait! Wait I said!"

He turned around and for a moment he could have sworn it was her, swinging her arms back and forth, trying to psyche herself up for the jump. Cloud shook his head and the image disappeared.

"Get a hold of yourself," he admonished. "She's dead Strife, and no matter how much you want it she's not coming back."

It seemed as soon as he said those words he was punished for his blasphemy with an onslaught of pain to his left arm. Cloud, feeling suddenly dizzy and _very _nauseous, collapsed on the roof and slid dangerously close to the edge. Realising the disastrous consequences of falling two storeys he dug his feet into the roof tiles and halted his death drop. He clutched his left arm in a vice grip, squeezing the flesh with all his might to suppress the pain.

"_What the hell is this?" _he wondered, gritting his teeth and waiting for it to subside. It was like getting a fire 3 spell directly on the arm. In other words, it hurt. A lot.

After about the longest thirty seconds in his life, the pain finally stopped. Cloud was left taking in slow ragged breaths on the roof. He could feel the sweat pouring down his face, and the weakness his entire body was in. Trying to gather his composure, he looked up at the stars. The plates were gone, completely demolished. Everyone had a full view of the sky now, which didn't seem like much but Cloud found it somewhat comforting to see those in this state than any metal structure.

Cloud stared at that sky for hours, until the light had well taken over the abyss of night. Finally finding the courage to try and get up, he rolled onto his hands and knees, before pulling himself to his shaky feet. Slowly he climbed across the rooftop, his strength returning with each step he took. He entered the space where the old playground used to be. The slide he had sat on with Aeris was gone, in fact the whole area had been cleared and replaced with a gigantic monument of Meteor bearing down on Midgar. He wondered where he should go. After a moments hesitation, he headed for Sector Seven.

_Author's Note: Hi all, I've decided to go back and work on another Cloud and Aeris fic for a while, I'm putting my Yuffie one on hold because (1) I wanna get this finished before Advent Children hit's the stores. I know that if it isn't finished and I watch the movie I'm going to alter it to match the storyline more. (2) I've hit complete writers block with my Yuffie one._

_I'm also trying to decide weather I want to put in the bits of Advent Children storyline that I **do** know or should I just write and see how it works out. I don't want to make it too Advent Children, but I don't want to avoid it either. Suggestions anyone?_

_Anyway, thanks for reading!_

_LastCetra_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The shrill ring of a telephone broke the heavy silence that hung like a shroud over the "Seventh Heaven" bar. A young woman was washing plates and cutlery in a sink downstairs. Her newly cut, shoulder length hair fell around her face as she bowed her head, letting it rest on her chest.

"Cloud isn't here anymore," she said to the phone with a frustrated sigh. It didn't listen. Instead it continued to ring.

"Tifa! Phone!" a girl yelled from upstairs. Tifa let out another sigh and marched up the stairs. If that blasted machine didn't shut up it'd wake Denzel. Hearing a groan from the room on her right, followed by the patter of feet of Marlene rushing to his side, she realised it was too late. Marlene ran past Tifa, giving only a slight nod in her direction to acknowledge her presence.

_Bring…._

"Where's Cloud?" she heard Denzel say.

_Bring…._

Tifa squeezed her eyes shut. She hated that question. Her best friend, and she didn't even know his whereabouts.

_Bring…._

"Alright! Aright! I'm coming you persistent little…" she picked up the phone.

"Strife Delivery Service."

* * *

Cloud looked around Sector Seven. This area was one of the first places targeted for reconstruction, and was almost completely restored. If it were up to him, he would have left this place till last as the plate had pretty much destroyed everything, but who was he to decide? Tifa had got her bar back, and a lot of other people had got their homes back too.

He passed Johnny's house. He'd have to visit him some day, but for now, his eyes were set on the Seventh Heaven bar. He had left about two weeks after the dreams had started. Sometimes he'd wake up screaming and the whole house would be awake from him.

He stopped as he got to the wooden stairs leading up to the door. Was he right, coming back here? Why was he even here, what was his reason for coming back? True, he wanted to see Marlene, he missed her, and he was wondering how Denzel was doing too. The poor guy had Geostigma with over a year now. He hadn't heard of anyone who had held on that long. He hadn't even reached the advanced stages of the disease yet. Denzel was fighting so hard. Cloud had to admire the boy's strength of will. Something he had none of….

"_Cloud! Cloud, it's three o' clock! Where are you going?" Cloud looked down at one of the orphans. It was a girl, one of the younger ones that had come to live with him and Tifa. He lifted her up and patted her head. _

"_It's funny when you do that!" she giggled. "It makes my hair all messy, like yours Cloud!" He joined in with her laughter. _

"_You be a good girl while I'm gone Sinead," he said, setting her down on one of the many tables in the bar._

"_Where are you going?" she asked again. Cloud looked at her. Her face held a complete innocent expression, ready to believe anything he gave as an answer. Cloud couldn't possibly lie to a question like that._

"_I-" Cloud started. He didn't know where he was going. He just couldn't stay here. He was becoming more of a hindrance than a help recently, and now the dreams…_

"_Cloudie?" Sinead said, reaching out with her small arms to give him a hug. Cloud accepted gratefully._

"_I just need to leave for a while," he whispered in her ear. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He pulled out from her hug and patted her head once more before pushing the door open._

"_You'll make Tifa sad."_

_Cloud froze. He turned around to look at the four year old, now swinging her legs back and forth on the table. Apparently she didn't realise the gravity of what she'd just said. The door slammed back shut, making her jump slightly._

"_What?" he asked._

"_Tifa will be sad if you go," she repeated, pushing her short brown hair out of her face and fixing the glasses that were sliding down her nose._

_Cloud sighed. "Sometimes, you have to make people sad so you can do what's right."_

"_Are you sad Cloud?"_

_Again, Cloud found he couldn't answer. _

"_It's okay," she continued with a smile. "We all get sad. Maybe you're going away so you can find how to be happy."_

_Cloud returned the smile._

"_Maybe. I'll see ya kid." He opened the door again and walked outside into the night._

He wondered how Tifa would react to seeing him. Probably a beat rush limit break to his unsuspecting jaw. It had happened before.

_Stop joking yourself. She'll be delighted to see you. Just steel yourself and walk through the damn door!_

Cloud couldn't help hesitating. No matter how powerful his strength of reason was, negative thoughts couldn't stop entering his mind, drowning out every ounce of common sense he had left. The "what ifs" were his worst enemies. No, he wasn't ready to go back yet. The way he was feeling now, he'd only cause more unrest in the place than anything.

Cloud's mobile phone started to ring. He took it out and looked at the caller ID.

_**Tifa!**_

She had put in her number herself, and added the exclamation mark as her own "touch of individuality."

_Can she see me?_ he thought, wildly looking around. Seeing a brunette coming to one of the windows he darted off, twisting around a corner and sprinting through alleyway after alleyway to get away. Finally he stopped in a particularly dark one and slumped down to catch his breath.

* * *

Tifa rang Cloud's number. Reno was offering a pretty good job. Well, the pay was good anyway, so she decided she might as well leave him a message. He hadn't answered his phone to her in the longest time.

A phone started ringing outside. Tifa ignored it for a few seconds before she realised it was the same ringtone as… Cloud! She rushed to the window, just in time to see a figure run round the corner. The black clothes could have been anyone's, but the spiky blonde hair made Tifa believe without a shadow of doubt that it was him.

"What are you doing here Cloud?" she murmured. "Why are you running from me?"

"This is Cloud. I can't reach you right now-"

"More like you can't stand talking to me," she said.

"-so please leave a massage after the tone."

"I hate it when you shut me out like this."

_Beep._

"Hi Cloud, Tifa here. Reno has a job for you, it's pretty good pay. All you have to do is take something up to the Healin Lodge. I think you should take it." She paused for a moment, wondering what else to say.

"Anyway, I haven't heard from you. How are you?"

Marlene came running into the room. Tifa didn't see her as she was too busy looking out the window, wondering about Cloud.

"Tifa! Denzel's gotten really sick!" She stopped as she saw her with the phone to her ear.

"Who are you talking to?" she asked.

"Uh, Marlene, didn't see you. Who am I talking to? Um, no one really. Just, checking my voice messages, that's all." She gave Marlene a reassuring smile to which Marlene folded her arms, seeing right through her.

"Let's go take a look at Denzel," Tifa said quickly, snapping the phone shut.

"Okie-dokie!" Marlene replied enthusiastically. "When we're finished doing that, can we go to the church? I want to make sure the flower lady's flowers are okay, nobody's touched them in months I'd say by now!"

"Aeris," she said sadly, playing with the ribbon on her left arm absentmindedly.

"Tifa," she said in a sing-song voice. "Can we go?" She pulled a sad face. "Pleeeeeaze?"

"Not today, but the day after tomorrow. I'm too busy at the moment."

"Not to busy to obsess over Cloud with every passing second!" Marlene jeered, hopping out of the room. "See you in the room, Nurse Tifa!"

Tifa laughed in shock.

"I do not," she protested weakly. Tifa followed Marlene but stopped at the doorframe. Looking back, she gazed outside into the gathering dusk.

"Stay safe Cloud," she whispered.

* * *

Cloud knew that sitting in a cold dark alleyway was not a clever place to decide to think about what just happened but he wasn't one for rational thinking these past few days. That had been far too close. A part of him wished he'd stayed, at least then he could have faced her and it would be over with by now. His instinct had just taken over when he heard his phone ring. But why was his instinct to run? He knew Tifa better than anyone on Gaia. If he couldn't talk to her about how he was feeling, how could he talk to anyone? Was he really alone now?

"What are you doing lying in the gutter?"

He looked up. His eyes widened and he felt his breath catch in his throat. It was _her_, everything he knew about her, her clothes, her hair, her eyes…

She shook her head, and the bangs in front of her eyes danced with her movement.

"You're going to catch a cold if you stay there," she warned. "Or even pneumonia." She looked around. "The place is kinda dirty. You could get worse diseases." She looked back at him and winked. "You starting to understand now?"

"Aeris," Cloud said in disbelief. She reached out her hand.

"Come on, let's go someplace warmer. If you want I'll even help you up." She laughed, the gentle sound carrying through Cloud's ears like wind chimes. "Or are you to macho for me to help you?"

"How?" he asked. "You… died, over two years ago."

"Does it really matter? I'm here now, isn't that what you want? Isn't it what you've always wanted?" Cloud nodded slowly.

"Yeah."

She emphasised her extended arm. "Let's go, Cloud." He smiled and reached his hand up to her.

Another wave of pain was unleashed on his left arm, and he dropped it immediately. He looked up again, but Aeris was nowhere to be seen. Clutching his left arm, he curled into himself. It was pure agony, far worse than earlier. Looking at his arm, he saw skin had split and it was starting to bleed. He could feel his pulse beating out the blood from the wound with each pump. The skin around it was dry, black and flaking, and he really should have noticed it then, but the pain wasn't letting him think of much else. He untied the bow on the ribbon and gripped it tightly in his arm. The bloodstained ribbon was the last thing he saw before he let darkness swallow him.

_Author's note: As requested by my lovely kind reviewer, I'm going to put more Advent Children scenes in it, but not all my chapters are going to be structured around the movie like this one, in fact, the next chapter, which I am almost finished, has no Advent Children scenes like this at all. I'm finally getting into it, so hopefully the chapters will be posted faster. Thanks for reading, reviewers are always welcome!_

_**L.C.**_

_**Shouts to:**_

**_crimson queens: Thanks for the advice! As I said earlier, I'm going to take it and add a few more scenes of AC into it. It's marked for spoilers, so what the hay! Thanks for reviewing!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Cloud descended the crystal staircase. He knew she was here. Nobody believed him, but he just knew that if he walked past those shell houses he'd find her. It was the strangest feeling; like his feet were compelled to walk in this direction, as if they were what was guiding him.

He reached the bottom. There, in the middle of a lake was an altar. And on it knelt-

"Aeris?" he murmured to himself. He stood there for a few seconds, watching her. Braided locks of hair tumbled across her face, being tamed only moderately by the pink ribbon that tied it. Her forehead was touching her clasped hands, emerald eyes shut in concentration. She seemed to be praying for something, but what?

He moved to the lakeside, and hopped across the marble pillars with ease. His boots made a clanging noise with each landing, but not once did Aeris look up or move from where she knelt. It didn't even seem like she knew Cloud was there at all. Cloud walked towards her, ready to give some strange comment on how funny she looked. As he opened his mouth though, his head started throbbing in pain, right in the centre of his head that made anyone feel like it was going to split in two. He pressed his hands into his temples and he could feel it happening, just like at the Temple of the Ancients. _He_ was taking over. When the headache stopped, Cloud couldn't control his body.

Grabbing his sword, he raised it high above his head. Aeris looked up and smiled. She nodded knowingly.

"I always knew you were a puppet," she said. Her eyes were filled with pity. Something Cloud couldn't bear.

"No!" Cloud denied, trying with all his might to stop the force that was making him use his sword against her. "I'm not, Aeris. I'm not a puppet!"

"But you are," she laughed. "You've got strings and everything."

"What?" Cloud asked in confusion. He looked left and right. Sure enough, he had strings on his arms, and looking down, they were on his knees too.

"No…" he said again, this time in pure disbelief. He followed the strings upward with his eyes to look at his puppet master. Silver hair, black clothes…

"Sephiroth," he whispered.

The madman pointed the cross forward, and Cloud could feel his hands giving way and his sword gaining speed as it flew downwards. Aeris closed her eyes.

"Goodbye Cloud."

"Aeris!"

* * *

White. Everything was white. It was the only thing he could make out. Not objects or blurred images, just that amazingly bright colour. Cloud could feel himself slipping in and out of unconsciousness, and sometimes he found it hard to tell the difference between the two.

He heard the sound of people rushing around him, tending to different things. Sometimes he heard people talking over him. Often, he felt sharp pins being stuck into his arm, before he felt completely woozy.

_I must be in a hospital_, he thought. _And I'm being jacked up on morphine. _

One particular time, reality gripped him harder than usual and he found himself completely awake. Braving what he knew would cause a lot of pain, he opened his eyes to the light. The brightness of the location assaulted his retinas beyond compare; it was too much light to take in after being in darkness for so long. They watered over and he forced himself to shut them.

"Hello?" he called out, but his parched throat could only manage an "auggh."

He tried to put up his hands to shade his eyes but they met stark resistance. Curious, he forced his eyes open and found there were leather restraints tied around his wrists. He tried moving his feet but was faced with the same problem.

_What?_ was the only thought that could enter his head. After about a minute or so, _why?_ managed to find its way into his thought stream. He didn't have anyone around however to answer these questions so he decided to suspend them and looked around instead. His first assumption was right; he was in a hospital. They didn't have much imagination either; the white he'd seen were the walls, the ceilings the curtains… everything really. To his left was a huge machine, and tubes were coming out of it that were pinned to different veins in his body. The machine beeped at different intervals, for what reason Cloud had no idea. He didn't care either. He just wanted to get out of here.

He looked to his right. There was a little table on it with his clothes, and the pink ribbon he had in his hand was lying on top. If only he could reach them. He moved his arms again, pulling against the restraint as hard as he could but to no avail. Weather he liked it or not, he was stuck until someone came along.

His eyes drifted past his unreachable clothing to the window. By the looks of it he was up pretty high, and the metal beams and debris told him he was still in Midgar.

A very scary thought entered his mind. Was he in a mental hospital? He hadn't heard of one in Midgar but these things could usually be kept under wraps. He didn't think he was crazy.

"Ah, I see you're awake."

Cloud's eyes turned to the man in the doorway. He was tall, with black hair and pale skin that was emphasised by the white lab coat he wore. For a fleeting moment his thoughts yelled _Hojo!_ at him which made him tense. As he looked again though he realised he was being absurd and pushed the thought from his mind.

"Welcome back from the realm of the dream world," he continued, walking into the room and sitting down on a chair that was next to the table with Cloud's clothing on it.

"Hello Doctor," he replied. "By any chance am I in a mental hospital?"

"What?"

"Nothing," he replied with relief.

"I suppose you're wondering about the restraints," the doctor started.

Cloud said nothing.

"I'll have you know it was for good reason. In your unconscious state you kept thrashing about and became a threat to both yourself and the nurses. You even gave one a very nasty bruise on the cheek. That must have been some dream you were having."

_Tell me about it._

"Could you untie me now?" he asked instead, preferring to keep his dreams private.

"Of course, of course," he answered, quickly reaching for the straps. He fumbled on them in his haste, obviously not wanting to anger an AVALANCHE member. Cloud noted this in amusement.

"I'm not going to kill you Doctor," he said calmly.

"Sorry, sorry," he excused himself, finishing up.

"I understand that you were just doing your job so please, don't worry about it. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it." Cloud, now freed, sat up in the bed and brought his legs into a more comfortable position.

The doctor walked over to the window. He seemed to be in a thoughtful mood.

"What is it?" Cloud asked.

"Nothing major really," he said. "I just never thought I'd even meet a person from AVALANCHE, never mind treat one. And Cloud Strife of all people. The most famous of them all."

"I would have thought that would have been Barret," he replied with a laugh. "He's such a big mouth."

"What's it like to be famous?" he questioned.

"I'm just another person," Cloud said, brushing off his celebrity status with a wave of his hand.

"But you're not!" he exclaimed, punching his fist in the air. "You saved the _whole_ world."

_I didn't. Aeris did._

"That was a long time ago," he murmured, looking past him into the ruins of Midgar. "Sometimes I wonder what it was all for."

"Don't say that. Sure, bad things happen, but we all suffer through and come out as better people. We couldn't become better people if the world wasn't here, so that I'm really grateful for." He looked over at Cloud. "You helped us all, even if you don't realise it."

"You're an interesting man to say the least Doctor…"

"Berhing. But please, call me Dave."

"Nice to meet you Dave," Cloud said, extending his hand. Dave took it and they shook.

"Likewise," he replied.

Cloud suddenly realised what being in a hospital meant. A hospital was for sick people. He wouldn't have been kept in if he wasn't sick.

"What's wrong with me Dave?" he asked.

He looked very uncomfortable.

"Well, you, ah…"

"Just tell me," Cloud prompted. Dave sighed.

"You have Geostigma." He put his hand on Cloud's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Cloud couldn't speak, he couldn't think, he couldn't _breathe_. He had gone completely numb, nothing was registering in his mind. The things he saw and heard would not let themselves be felt. He froze, as if somebody had cast a stop spell on him. Even later, if asked to reflect on the moment, he wouldn't be able to remember anything.

"Mr. Strife, please snap out of it!" the doctor shouted, shaking the blonde's shoulders violently. Cloud's head turned slowly to look at him. His face was devoid of expression. Dave looked into his eyes. They were empty, as if Cloud's soul had been removed with his words.

"Oh, I'm going to get in so much trouble for this," he said, taking a glass of water from the table and splashing the liquid on his patient. Cloud blinked twice, snapping out of his shock.

"Breathe, Cloud," he urged, slapping his back. "Breathe."

Cloud did. In, out, in, out. It was all he could concentrate on, as everything else was far to big for him to comprehend.

"That's it. Good." He sat on the bed next to him.

"It know it's a lot to take-"

"There's no cure," Cloud interrupted.

"That's right."

"I'm going to die." Cloud didn't want false hope. His words were more of a statement than a question, as if clarifying the fact would make him believe it easier. Dave bowed his head.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"What are you sorry for?" Cloud asked. "It's not your fault."

"I don't know. Sorry I can't help. I became a doctor to stop this kind of thing. But I can't."

"Everyone dies," Cloud pointed out.

"Yeah, but-"

"It's alright. I know what you mean."

Silence hung between them.

"Is there anyone I can call?" Dave asked. "Family, friends?" Cloud shook his head.

"No one."

"That must be tough, surviving on your own like that. Not to mention lonely."

"I get by," Cloud clipped shortly.

Silence resumed.

"How long?" Cloud suddenly asked.

"What? Oh, it varies from person to person. A year, perhaps, if you're lucky. Probably eight months. Depending on the person's level of resistance, some have passed in under two months."

"Two months…" Cloud trailed off.

"From the tests we've run, the disease started affecting your body about four months ago."

"How?" Cloud questioned.

"Well, there's the pain. It can start anywhere, but from the looks of it so far it has only affected your left arm. One poor girl that came into the hospital had her whole eye split open. I don't know where she is now. Poor girl, she was only eight…" he looked over at Cloud's impatient face.

"But I digress. There's also weakness in the joints and body, coughing, delirium, fever -"

"Delirium?" Cloud asked, his curiosity mounting.

"Yes," he replied. "You know, hallucinations, illusions, that sort of thing. It usually happens before feeling pain in a random area, or in this case, your arm. Have you, experienced this?"

"What are they of?"

"Again, depending on the person, it's different. The Jenova cells use it as an enticement to put the patient at ease so she can attack and consume the body without much resistance. She uses an illusion of something your heart desires."

"My heart…desires?

"Yeah. At least that's the information we've collected from other patients. Was your illusion different?"

"No," Cloud replied, shaking his head. "Not at all."

"What did you see?"

"I'd rather not say. Sorry."

"Please don't worry about it. It was a personal question." Cloud nodded his thanks.

"Here," the doctor said, handing Cloud several pure white bandages. "Every person who acquires the disease must wear one. The population are still paranoid even though the disease isn't contagious. They want to be able to 'pick the infected out from a crowd,' or something like that."

"Infected…" Cloud murmured under his breath.

"If they find you without it, you can be thrown in prison until such time that the disease can be cured."

"But there's no cure," Cloud deadpanned. The doctor looked away.

"Exactly," he sighed. "Anyway, we'll need to run some more tests."

"I don't want tests," Cloud replied forcefully.

"We need to find out if your condition-"

"I'm sorry Doctor, but you can't force me to stay." Cloud got up from his bed, ripping the tubes out of his veins and walking over to where his clothes were neatly folded. He picked up the pink ribbon on top and tied it around his arm.

"Cloud, you're being unreasonable, get back to your bed."

"I'm not going to wait around in some bed till my number is up. There are things that I have to do." He looked away from him and there she was again, leaning casually against the wall, smiling at him.

"He's a bit annoying, isn't he?" she giggled.

"Aeris." The doctor looked to where Cloud's eyes were trained. All he saw was empty space, but the look in Cloud's eyes was as though he'd seen a goddess.

"Cloud!" he demanded, trying to divert his attention. "It's just an illusion, nothing more."

"What does he know?" he said to Aeris, gesturing toward Dave.

"Even his voice is enough to tick me off," she replied.

"Yeah, I suppose," he laughed. "I've been listening to it for the past hour now, so you're lucky." She smiled.

"You better watch yourself, it's going to start now."

"What?" Cloud asked in confusion, before falling to his hands and knees in pain. No matter how strong he was, he couldn't hold back the cry that escaped his lips.

"Cloud!" Dave exclaimed, rushing over to his fallen patient.

"Get away," he hissed, pushing him off. "I'm fine." Gritting his teeth, he stood up and dressed himself.

"At least let me give you something for the pain," he pleaded, desperately trying to get through to him. "It will help with the illusions too."

"No," Cloud clipped.

"You want to stay like this?"

"Thanks for the help doctor," he said, before striding out the door.

_Author's note: I actually don't know what to think of this chapter, I really don't. It was the kind of chapter that just went bleh onto the pages and yahoo! Chapter three is up!_

_Now, I'm going on holiday for a week so it might take a bit longer to update the next chapter. I am the kind of person who writes EVERYTHING out in longhand before I type it all out again. It makes me write more easily so hey? I have some of it typed out but just not all of it, so hopefully I'll have it up in two weeks, again, hopefully. Please don't hold me to it though! So anyway, thanks for reading, and now… drum roll onto my wonderful reviewers!_

**Clorith: Thanks! Clerisness rocks! Long live Cloud/Aeris! (Which is kinda bad to say since she died and all!) Thanks for reviewing!**

**ff fan: Insane… hmm, I wasn't going that way, but like the idea. Evil Cloud, imagine the possibilities… grins Thanks for reviewing!**

**asga: Thank you!Expressions say it all, don't they?Thanks for reviewing!**

**chaosxShion: Same here, I love Cloud/Aeris, but I am kinda biased since she is my favourite character, (hence my penname!) No one has ever called my stuff thrilling before, it made my evening when scrolling through my inbox so thanks! And thanks for reviewing!**

**LetMeLive: Do no wrong? If you say so… Thanks for reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Cloud looked at his mobile phone. He'd forgotten that Tifa rang the day before yesterday. He scrolled through the different menus before realising he'd a voice message.

"_Hi Cloud, Tifa here. Reno has a job for you-"_

"No _way _am I taking another job from Reno," Cloud muttered to himself. "Not after the mess he got me into last time…"

"_-Anyway, I haven't heard from you. How are you?"_

Cloud shook his head. _You don't want to know Tifa, trust me._

"_Tifa! Denzel's gotten really sick!" _There was a pause. _"Who are you talking to?"_

The voice mail ended. Despite everything, Cloud smiled. It was nice to hear their voices again. He adjusted his sunglasses and looked around. This was the place where Zack had saved his life. No longer green and thriving with flowers, instead, taken over by decay and was now as barren as the dusty red cliffs around Cosmo Canyon. He had come back here after Meteor had been destroyed to see if he could find anything left of his friend. All he found was an old belt buckle he used always wear. He buried it up on the cliff and marked it with three sticks. This time, he was going to leave a much clearer marker. He brandished the Buster Sword and plunged it into the earth.

"I came to give back what's rightfully yours," he said to the sword. "Thank you for letting me use it, but I won't be needing it anymore." He turned away.

"Take care Zack. See you soon."

_The first person you couldn't bury._

"Shut up," he told his demon angrily.

_The second you just dropped in water._

"I don't need this now," Cloud snapped.

_When you couldn't do your job right. Some bodyguard. _

"When I die, you're dying with me," he said quietly. "We'll see who has the last laugh."

The voice went quiet. Satisfied, Cloud went back to his motorcycle and sat on it, absorbed in thought.

"Aeris, two years ago, I decided to live for you. But now, I've broken yet another promise, because I'm dying."

Reality hit there.

"I'm dying…" Soon, he wasn't going to be around. He wasn't going to see the orphans grow up, he wasn't going to be there to talk to his old friends about silly things that didn't matter. Not that he saw them much anymore, it was still nice to have the option. They had all moved on from their experiences two years ago. Cloud hadn't. He felt like… he was stuck in the past, and now he was just drifting aimlessly through life. Could you even call that a life? Was he really living for her, like he promised, or was it just trying to find the strength to get through each day?

He sank from Fenrir onto the dusty, barren ground, lost in himself, not caring if he dirtied his clothes doing so.

"Come on Cloud, cheer up." Cloud raised his bowed head slowly to look at her, his illusion, what his heart desired most.

"I don't know if I can, Aeris," he said.

"You're dying, so why don't you make these days count?"

"You're going to disappear soon," he said, more to himself than her. "And I'm going to get another wave of pain to my arm. That's depressing."

Anyone looking at this scene from the outside would have thought Cloud was a very crazy man, talking to air like he was.

"I see you've covered your left arm," she noted, looking at the long black material that started at his shoulder and finished at his wrist. "What are you covering, the wound, or my ribbon?"

"I think you know the answer to that," he replied. "I've never forgotten you, never will." He cast his head down, looking at the dust particles and swirling the shape of his name with his index finger.

"But you're not really _her_ now, are you? You're Jenova, playing tricks on my mind. You're a disease, a bad thing, so why take the shape of Aeris?"

"Cloud," she said softly, kneeling down and poking her head underneath his so she could see his eyes. "I can be as real as anyone. All you have to do, is believe it."

Cloud lifted his right arm and hesitantly reached out to her. She took his hand in hers and guided it to her face. Cloud's hand felt everything, from the soft, delicate touch of her skin to the sharp fingernails that were perfectly rounded off. A manicurist couldn't have done a better job.

"I believe," he whispered. Aeris smiled.

"Good. Maybe we can talk about something different next time." And with that she vanished.

Cloud took a deep breath and holding it, he lay back to take the agony once more. He didn't clutch his arm anymore, even though it felt like it was on fire, and he didn't cry out either. Even though the pain was all over, attacking his immune system, he felt sort of… numb. No, numb wasn't a good word, because numb would mean his was feeling nothing. Cloud felt far from feeling nothing, he felt positively euphoric after what he had just seen, what he'd just been able to do, what he hadn't done in a long time.

_She touched me. I was able to touch her._

Cloud lay there, long after the pain had passed, thinking about this new development. If these were just illusions, how come it all felt so real? Could she really be back, or was it just wishful thinking?

He looked under the sleeve of his jacket to reveal the bandage. He'd been given a few, and they really couldn't do much for the wound. He'd discarded one in the church as he hated the sight of it; black and flaky. It looked rotten, like what his body was doing, rotting away until he couldn't do anything anymore.

It was a beautiful day; the sky was a deep blue, almost as blue as the sea around Costa Del Sol and there wasn't a puff of wind or a cloud to be seen. The sun was now high in the sky, directly above him. He'd been here all morning, so it was about time for him to go back. Cloud sprung himself up, a simple act that was becoming harder and harder to do, started up Fenrir and kicked off, heading for home, the Midgar church.

* * *

Cloud has always loved the door leading into the church. Now, he never liked staring at architecture, he probably saw more fun in watching paint drying on a wall but this place… there was _something_ about it. Something he couldn't quite place his finger on. Perhaps it was the beautiful stone goddesses, meticulously carved from the rock that was the stone door, or the way that each figure seemed to leap out at him. Or maybe it was the two staves crossed over one another, barring entry to an ill-fated demon. He had always wondered were these staves the inspiration for Aeris' choice of weapon. He'd probably never know.

These were the last thoughts entering Cloud's mind as he looked at the door, slightly ajar. Slightly ajar meant someone was here. Nobody visited the church; in the four months that Cloud had been there he'd never seen anyone. Someone probably wanted a fight. It happened from time to time; Some cocky teenager or tough guy wanted to prove themselves to their shallow buddies. Cloud had never even used his sword, a few well placed punches shot them down quickly enough. Nevertheless he unsheathed it quickly and pushed the door fully open, his senses high on alert. He entered the church cautiously, his feet making no sound at all on the wooden floor. Cloud knew now with a long time which floorboards creaked, and which didn't. Checking behind the door (for it was usually the main point of ambush) and seeing nothing, Cloud walked up the centre isle. There were flower petals everywhere, lying dejected; scattered and torn like unwanted gift-wrapping.

_What went on here? _Cloud thought angrily. Was someone doing this to the flowers on purpose? _I swear, if I find out who did this I'll…_

He stopped; something was lying in the flowerbed. Brown hair, slim but muscular frame…

"Tifa!" he exclaimed, sheathing his sword and rushing up to his fallen comrade. He raised her head and shoulders onto the crook of his arm, before giving her a gentle shake.

"Tifa!" he said again, panic starting to rise in his voice. He put two fingers to her slender neck. Relief flooded through him as he felt the slow, steady pulse. He picked her up and carried her out of the church.

* * *

As Tifa broke out of unconsciousness the first thing her bleary, unfocused eyes saw was not the roof of the Sector Five church, but a big fuzzy chocobo. Confused, Tifa half sat up and waited for her eyes to focus. She soon realised that it was a blonde haired man sitting on a wooden chair next to her bed. The man she hadn't seen in over four months. And the man she now knew was dying. He hadn't noticed her, too busy staring at his hands, lost in thought.

"Cloud?" she asked, as if trying to confirm the name and the face. He looked over and smiled.

"Tifa, I'm glad you're awake."

Tifa wasn't so happy in their reunion. Feelings she'd been trying to shut out for months now, hurt, sadness, loneliness, all came flooding back. But she shut them out and let only one be felt; anger.

"You've got geostigma, haven't you?" she accused, fire almost burning in her eyes. Cloud looked away, he'd forgotten he'd left plain evidence of his disease with that bandage in the church. He hadn't wanted her to know.

"...there's no cure for it."

"'It's fine if I'm gonna just die like this', is that what you're thinking? ...It is...isn't it? You think by doing this you'll see her again?"

Which was exactly what he thought, but he could never admit that to her.

Tifa got up from where she was lying and crossed the wooden floors to take Cloud's battle-worn hands in hers. Cloud looked up slowly to stare into her unwavering burgundy eyes, filled with concern.

"Cloud," she said in a much softer tone. "Denzel's fighting it, and everyone's here for you, so why not you, too? Why aren't you trying to save yourself?"

Cloud's hand moved up to hold his wound. His fingers curled around the material that was covering it, gripping the clothing tightly as if to relieve the hollow ache of something inside him, causing more pain than any flesh wound ever could.

"I don't think I can save anyone. Neither my family, nor my friends…" He sighed.

"No one."

"Oh there you go again," she sighed angrily, breaking away from him to pace around the room, all the while rubbing her poor, pounding temples. That guy had really given her a beating…

"You're so _damn_ afraid, that when things get tough you just close yourself off from everyone and expect them to pick up the pieces."

"I didn't ask you to," Cloud replied, and the look on Tifa's face made it very clear that he'd said the wrong thing; she turned away, her eyes overly bright.

"Do you ever stop to think about _anyone, _Cloud? What about _my_ feelings?" she asked, pointing to herself for emphasis. "I would be very sad if you… died." Her voice cracked on the last word, and she broke down. Ashamed of her tears, she put a gloved hand over her face to hide her emotion. Cloud, realising how hurtful he'd been walked over and pulled her into an embrace. Tifa wrenched out of it.

"I don't want your pity," she snapped, but her violent words sounded even pathetic to her. Cloud didn't attempt to hug her again, something Tifa thought he was certain to do. Instead he walked to the other end of the room, taking sudden interest in a map of Gaia. Tifa closed her eyes and crossed her arms, as if hugging herself. Even though she was still very angry, she couldn't help but feel exasperated at the way Cloud was reacting to her outburst. It seemed like the time when she had seen his very soul had never happened. Now, she felt more closed off from him than ever before.

"Don't ever think no one cares, Cloud," she whispered, turning to look at his back. She wiped the tears from her face before crossing her arms again. "Because I do."

There was a pause, before Cloud replied.

"Tifa, you know I love you, don't you?" he asked. He found he couldn't look back at her. "You know I care."

"I know. But that's not enough," she muttered.

Cloud nodded. Tifa looked at him wearily.

"It's okay," she said. She knew she'd lost her chance years ago, and she'd long resigned to the fact that it wasn't going to happen. "I know who your heart belongs to. I, just wish I'd seen it when we were kids. Who knows? Maybe things would have been… different."

Cloud smiled sadly. "Yeah, maybe." He turned to look her up and down.

"Who did this to you?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I don't know, but…" she trailed off.

"Tell me," Cloud encouraged.

"He, he looked like Sephiroth."

"What?" Cloud exclaimed, taken very aback. "A clone, maybe?" Tifa shook her head again.

"No, he seemed too… human, to be a clone, but the silver hair, and his strength…" she squeezed her eyes shut at the memory of fighting him. "I was completely outmatched."

Cloud hadn't even heard her utter those words against Sephiroth.

"Was it him who took the children?" he asked gently.

"Yeah…" Tifa replied. "Denzel… Marlene…"

"I'll get Reno and Rude to check it out," Cloud said, reaching for his phone.

"No need," a voice came from behind them. Both heads snapped over to see Reno and Rude standing in the doorframe. Neither had changed in the past two years, except maybe swapping their blue suits for black ones. Reno was still as overconfident and insolent as ever, and Rude was… well, Rude.

"Long time no see, Strife," the fiery red head greeted. "Why didn't you get back to me on that job?" Cloud looked at him for a second, eyebrow raised.

"Reno, the last time I took a _job_ of yours I ended up coated head to toe in mako and got attacked by a colony of cactuars."

Reno smirked. "I remember that!" he said laughing "Who knew that cactuars were attracted to mako?"

"Reno…" Rude warned. Cloud was turning an alarming shade of red.

"Or maybe it was your natural scent…"

"Don't say another word Reno," Cloud threatened, his hand curling into a fist.

"I got my money's worth though," he continued. "You _were_ picking needles out of your ass for days…"

"Oh that's IT!" Cloud yelled, jumping up and making a lunge at the former Turk. Tifa however easily knocked the unsuspecting Cloud onto the bed with a quick push.

"Enough!" she exclaimed. "You boys can settle this on another date but I don't have time for this. Do you know where this guy went?"

Reno's face turned serious. "It wasn't one guy, it was three. And the person you were attacked by was named Loz. The other two are called Yazoo, a guy with long silver hair, and Kadaj, the leader. They're looking for their mother."

"Their mother?" Cloud asked, his anger dissipating. "Surely they don't mean…" Reno shook his head.

"I don't know for sure. But this Kadaj guy seemed obsessed with some 'Reunion' thing."

_No way, _Cloud thought. Tifa gripped Cloud's shoulder subconsciously.

"Where did they go?" she asked.

Reno hesitated. He looked over a Cloud, then looked away.

"The Forgotten Capital," Rude said.

Cloud's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't visited that place since…

"Cloud?" Tifa asked. "I can't go like this, you'll have to do it."

"I-" Cloud started. "I don't…know if…" How could he face even being in that place again? The last time he was there failed to save one person, what if this time he couldn't…

"I understand," Tifa said comfortingly, looking at Cloud. He bowed his head, refusing to return her gaze. "Even if we find the children we might not be able to do anything, we might not even be able to get them back. That's what you're afraid of right?" Tifa put a hand on his face and turned it to look at her. Cloud slowly met her eyes.

"Were we overcome by our memories?" she asked, staring into his mako enhanced, azure eyes. They were completely unreadable. When would he realise that she was there for him, instead of making her feel completely alienated like this?

_But… I let her die._

Cloud hesitated, then shook his head.

"That's good to hear." Cloud slowly rose from the bed and walked over to Rude and an unusually silent Reno.

"Let's go," he said. The two former Turks nodded and exited the room. Cloud made to follow.

"Cloud," Tifa called. He turned around. She had the most serious look he'd ever seen on her face.

"Don't give in to it."

Cloud said nothing. He turned around and left.

_Authors Note:_

_I am so so SO sorry for the delay! I really am! I didn't mean to take this long, but I did and I apologise again! I swear the next chapter will be up **much** faster than this one! _

_I'll say it now. I do not hate Tifa, even though I'm obliged to as a Cleris fan! I think she was a majorly important character in the ff7 love triangle and should not be dismissed completely on the spot. I wanted to let her down with Cloud's rejection in as dignified a way as possible, and I think I succeeded in that. I also think that Cloud really cares for her too, though not in that way, and it's another thing that Cleris fans don't write enough about. _

_A big thanks goes to Daenis Tooshy for helping me with this chapter. There were parts that were really, "do you want some wine with this cheese?" and she helped me out loads so first of all **big** hugs and second, if you haven't read her fics yet then what are you waiting for?_

_Anyway, this note is getting longer than the chapter itself! I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. I was terribly difficult to write; I was stuck on it for ages and I wanted it to really work. Thanks once again for reading, drop a review if you feel like it, they're always welcomed. (even if you wanna bitch about Tifa, I won't mind too much! XD)_

_**To my wonderful reviewer asga!**_

_**asga: Well, I didn't update soon, soz about that. Please forgive me! Are you a complete Cleris nut too? There's so little of us around… (sniff) **__**Thanks for reviewing (again! You're so nice to do that! hugs)**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_**Note before reading: Hello all, I have to say two things. 1. I have seen Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It is the best movie I have ever seen in my life. Not once did it disappoint. 2. The viewing of this incredible masterpiece is not going to affect the ending of this fanfic, so no major spoilers. Basically, what you've seen in the trailers is what you're gonna get of the advent children plot in this fanfic. The ending is going to be my own idea, so anyone scared of knowing the real ending can still read. **_

_**Now that that's out of the way, here's the chapter.**_

The wind screamed around him, blocking out all other sound as Cloud weaved through the trees on Fenrir in the Ancient Forest. The trees still gave out that mystical, unearthly aura he'd wondered about since he'd first set foot in this place, but he wasn't contemplating the finer workings of the area at the moment. Cloud had one intent; get the kids, and get out. He wasn't going to stay any longer than he needed to. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck near the lake, _that_ lake.

His mind didn't want to think about it, but his heart forced him to. Letting her fall downward into that water was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He could remember being out there, his feet mechanically pushing him forward. One of his hands had been supporting her knees; the other he distinctly remembered was wrapped around her shoulder, holding her into him. Her head had gently rolled into his chest, and for a fleeting moment she looked like she was sleeping, only to be reminded with a painful pang what had just happened. He remembered standing there for almost an eternity, taking in every last detail of her porcelain face, once so alive with energy and emotion but now a mask of seriousness and inhumanity. Cloud knew this… body, wasn't Aeris anymore; that which made Aeris was returning to the planet, or flying among the stars above him. But no matter how he tried to convince himself that this wasn't her, Cloud's grip could only tighten around her slender body, refusing to let go. He didn't see his knuckles whiten, or feel his heart hammering in his chest. All he could remember was closing his eyes when he finally let go.

He felt something catch in his hand. His eyes slowly opened and he looked down to see the pink ribbon entangled in his fingers. He looked past his hand into the rippling clear blue waters to see what would be his last sight of Aeris; her light honey hair spreading out around her like the light that used to surround her when she was alive.

His thoughts were interrupted with the explosion of a gun being fired. Cloud's eyes focused on three men obstructing his view. Three _silver haired _men. He couldn't believe it, even though this was what he'd been expecting. The man in the centre pulled out his sword and walked forward, the two on either side continued firing. A shower of bullets flew past Cloud, a few meeting the cold, unwavering steel of Fenrir. He kicked a button on the side of his bike, and two compartments opened out, containing three swords in each. He removed one and swerved his bike to the side to avoid the constant stream of bullets.

The man in the middle, which he identified from Reno's description as Kadaj, waved his hand in the air. Several children dropped down from the trees, two of which to Cloud's horror were Denzel and Marlene. They all had a soulless look in their eyes, except Marlene, who was tugging at Denzel's hand in desperation.

Suddenly, too late, he realised that none of the children had moved, and he was headed straight for them. They stood unwavering in their positions like a ragged, war-torn army. Panicked, Cloud put all his strength into pressing the brakes on Fenrir. The bike screeched loudly, the piercing clang of machinery grinding making him wince. Cloud flew from the seat, being tossed through the air like a beach-ball and soon hit the merciless ground with a force so shocking he almost fainted. Desperately he tried to recover, tried pulling himself into to his feet but to no avail. His body wasn't having any of it. He managed to force himself into a kneeling position, his palms firmly planted on the cold earth to keep his body from falling down again. He looked at his sword, lying dejected and just barely out of reach.

Cloud realised that the children had made a circle around him, leaving one small gap in which a young man was walking through. He couldn't have been more than sixteen, and he looked like a younger Sephiroth. Kadaj. His sword, a souba, was brandished loosely in his right arm, and Cloud noted with disgust that Kadaj was waving it around like a child's plaything. The sneer on Kadaj's face widened as he bent forward to look at the blonde warrior.

"I knew you'd come!" he exclaimed, the taunting tone in his voice unmistakeable.

"I'm just here for the kids," Cloud replied both quickly and firmly.

"You see," Kadaj said, raising his voice to address his audience. He slowly circled Cloud, throwing his hands to the sky as if he were all powerful. "This man here, he's actually our brother!"

_Brother! _Cloud thought madly. _There's no way I'm-_

Then it hit him, the revelation making his stomach drop.

_Oh no…_

Kadaj turned to face him again, his manic grin spreading across his face like a young child who had gotten his way. He brought his beautiful twin blade to Cloud's neck. Cloud glared at Kadaj, the most evil glare he could muster at a time like this. To think, his cause of death was to be cut down by a _teenager_, all because he crashed his motorcycle. How pathetic.

"But then, it's too bad he's a traitor."

"Cloud," pleaded a little tiny voice. Kadaj spun quickly around, surprised at the interruption to his execution. Cloud seized his chance and made a lunge for his sword. Kadaj, seeing the man's desperate manoeuvre, brought his sword forward in a punishing deathblow. Cloud was lucky to get his sword raised in time, blocking the sharp edge of the souba with his own blade. Nevertheless, his arms didn't get the time to tense and the blonde warrior felt an intense jarring sensation bolt through his body, which threw him back a few steps. The silver-haired man was on him in an instant, executing attack after attack, backing Cloud up against a tree.

Cloud noted how gifted Kadaj was with a sword. The only other person he had ever known with this talent was Sephiroth. In fact, their fighting style was scarily similar. In other ways however, it was nothing like it at all. The teen was too cocky for his own good, and Cloud saw major flaws in his swordsmanship. Parts of his body were left wide open, begging for an attack, which Cloud was only too happy to comply to. He ducked a haymaker swing from Kadaj, bringing his sword around in an attempt to pierce the teen's side. Kadaj saw it at the last second and jumped back, turning his impalement to a flesh wound in the arm.

Loz and Yazoo, who were hanging back until seeing their brother get hit, made for Cloud. Their attacks were perfectly executed, both men applying precise teamwork to overwhelm their opponent. However, it should have been a well-known fact by now that Cloud Strife was not a man that got overwhelmed so easily. Each attack was blocked with the same accuracy in which they were executed. The blonde's sword swung in a flash of silver, blocking both the blade and the bullets from the gunblade. Cloud leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding a side-kick from Yazoo and spun to block a punch from Loz, the latter making him grimace in pain at the strength of the man. He ran into an open clearing; the other two had decided that they could use the trees to their advantage, and he needed to see every attack as it came.

He stopped, breathing deeply. Adrenaline could only give so much, and he knew he couldn't keep this up. Looking left and right, he saw Yazoo and Loz running towards him, blades at the ready. Cloud was slightly disappointed they weren't firing their gunblades. They were obviously clever enough to know there was a chance that they could hit each other in the crossfire. He waited until they came closer, and jumped high into the air, barely grabbing the bent branch of a silver tree above him. Yazoo ran to Loz, jumping up with cat-like agility. Loz grabbed the bottom of Yazoo's foot and propelled the long-haired man higher into the air, straight for Cloud. His mako-enhanced eyes narrowed; he wasn't expecting that. He swung around the branch of the tree and launched himself off it, ready to meet blades with Yazoo once more.

The next attack he had barely even the time to see, much less avoid it. First it was just a shot of blue in the corner of his eye, then his body was spasaming with pain. His sword fell instantly from his gloved hand, plunging into the soft earth below, and he felt himself falling for the second time since he'd arrived in this godforsaken place.

He was caught by the two men, and was roughly thrown in front of a laughing Kadaj.

"You'd be wise not to forget about me so easily," he scolded, wagging his index finger in front of Cloud's limp body. His smiling face turned into an evil sneer. "It's a fatal mistake, brother. Now tell me, where have you hidden mother? I might make your demise a painless one."

Cloud curled his fingers into the loose earth, trying to grip on something.

"What..." he choked out. It took him considerable effort to speak. "Are you talking... about?"

Kadaj gripped Cloud's collar and pulled him upwards, right into his face. Cloud started. His eyes... so emotionless, so callous. Exactly the same...

The teen mistook the warrior's reaction for fear and smiled.

"Don't play me for a fool. I know you have her, we were told-"

His speech was cut short by several gunshots. A red cape fluttered downward, weaving through the silver trees towards the four men. Yazoo and Loz immediately started shooting, and Kadaj threw the injured Cloud back on the floor in frustration, brandishing his souba once more.

The red cape flew around, dodging bullets like nobody's business. The three silver-haired men, angered at their interruption started swinging wildly at this animated garment, all the while moving further and further away. Eventually, the garment stopped dodging, and flew straight for Cloud, fluttering over him for a millisecond before both disappearing into the trees. Kadaj, seeing this, threw his sword on the ground.

"Dammit!"

"Thanks for saving my ass back there," Cloud said to his rescuer. Raven black hair, porcelain white skin, the features of the one and only Vincent Valentine. He was leaning against a tree, ruby eyes staring into space.

"Don't mention it." There was something so non-committing in his reply. "Are you feeling better?"

"...yeah."

Vincent turned to look at him.

"Don't feel so bad," he advised. "There was nothing you could have done to save them; they're under Kadaj's control now."

Cloud was silent for a long time before speaking.

"I think, they're going back to Midgar," he said.

"It is their most logical destination," Vincent replied.

"But what I don't understand is, why did they bring them..." Cloud looked to the calm surface of the lake, where she...

"Here?" Vincent finished, returning Cloud from his nostalgic reflection. "I'm not certain."

Cloud's attention was not focused on the gunslinger anymore however. He was looking past him, focused on another person standing there. Not now. Of all possible moments, why did it have to be now?

"You came back," she whispered softly, her eyes looking at the rippling water. "The place you dreaded to be." Her glittering green eyes turned to Cloud's silky sapphire ones, and they stared at each other for what seemed an eternity.

"How does it feel?" she asked. "You know, by my being here, and also down there..." Her elegant pale hand stretched out and pointed to the centre of the lake.

"Aeris," he whispered. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Wouldn't it be much better not to remember that one time?" she said, crossing her arms thoughtfully and looking down at Cloud with a smile. She laughed. "You wanna know what I remember? I remember our night at the gold saucer. Remember when we were at the play, and you kissed my hand?"

"Stop," he pleaded.

"Or when we were on the gondola and all the fireworks were exploding around us, and I told you-"

"Don't say it!" he exclaimed.

"- that I wanted to meet you. Do you remember that Cloud?"

Cloud was shaking; all the memories of her were flooding back, filling his mind with unwanted thoughts that made him feel more guilt-ridden than ever.

"Doesn't it make you feel better to remember the good things?" she asked, walking over to him, past the bewildered Vincent. She knelt down and slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him back to lean against her.

"It's alright," she whispered comfortingly in his ear. "You know, I never blamed you for anything. See you soon, okay?"

And with that, Cloud was left alone once more. Cloud squeezed his arm to stop the pain that bit faster, but Vincent had already seen and was leaning forward to look Cloud in the eye. No matter how much agony he was in at the moment, Cloud found it hard to avoid the unwavering, cold garnet eyes.

"Geostigma occurs when your body has overworked itself purging the impure, evil substances within." He stood up and walked around Cloud to one of the many white, glowing trees.

"Something that flows within our bodies resembles the lifestream, which fights the evil substances that intrude within."

Cloud turned to Vincent, his pain forgotten.

"The abominable one, who makes heaven suffer…"

He knew immediately the next word that would exit Vincent's mouth before he'd even uttered it.

"Jenova."

"They kept asking me where 'mother' was," Cloud mused. "And Reno did tell me that Kadaj was obsessed with the reunion. Why are they looking for Jenova?"

"If Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz acquire the head of Jenova, another Sephiroth could be created. Depending on her whim, of course."

"Another Sephiroth…" he muttered. "How is that possible?" Vincent shook his head.

"I don't know."

Cloud stood up. "I have to get to Midgar and stop Kadaj," he said. "One Sephiroth was bad enough."

"Cloud wait," Vincent called in a sharp tone. Cloud turned.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about Aeris," he said.

"What?" Cloud asked, taken completely by surprise, but soon recovered himself. "Why would I be thinking about her at a time like this?" Vincent gave him a look.

"I am aware that your geostigma illusions are of her Cloud, you were far from discreet when you spoke with her. How long have these been going on for?"

Cloud paused, crossing his arms and looking down. It was bad enough that Tifa knew about his disease, without Vincent knowing. Soon all of Avalanche would probably know. He didn't want that. He didn't want all their concern or pity. He just wanted to be left alone.

"The illusions?" he said. "About a week I suppose. They're so _real _Vincent. I can touch her; her scent is the same and everything about her…"

"It's not Aeris, Cloud. It's Jenova."

"If you saw Lucrecia, would you care if it was Jenova or not?" he retorted.

"I don't believe in things that aren't real," he said simply.

"You say that now, but-"

"Is that why you aren't fighting it? So you can see her?"

Cloud looked up in shock. Vincent looked at him and huffed.

"I can see you deteriorating Cloud. I used to be a Turk you know. I'm far from slow."

"Right…" he replied sombrely.

"Is there anything else you're not telling me?"

He hesitated. Vincent glared at him.

"I must know Cloud. So you won't do anything… regrettable."

"I-" he started. Could he tell him? What if…

"I've been having dreams," he said.

"Of her?"

"…yeah."

"What happens?"

"She…" he looked to the lake once more. "dies."

"Every time?" he asked in surprise.

Cloud nodded. His mako blue eyes were still in the direction of the lake, but they were glazed over, and he looked like he was someplace far away. "I can never stop it," he said, more to himself than to his comrade.

Vincent put his hand on Cloud's shoulder. The blonde warrior looked up, surprised at the rare gesture of comfort.

"We have more in common than we realise. Lucrecia… I couldn't save her, I just watched as Hojo…" he sighed angrily. "People tell me that it wasn't my fault, that he did those sick, sick things to both her and me, but I still think if I had done something earlier, things would be different. Sephiroth wouldn't have been born, and Lucrecia, my beloved Lucrecia, would still be alive. Your guilt is no different I believe. I can understand how you feel."

Cloud sat down again, and started playing with the grass.

"I just… don't know what it's all supposed to mean. Why do I have to-"

"Cloud," Vincent interrupted. "Maybe, just maybe the reason you dream of Aeris dying all the time is because that's what you obsess over."

Cloud opened his mouth to protest, but Vincent cut him off with a wave of his pale hand and continued.

"When _you _think of Aeris, what do you think of?"

Cloud looked at Vincent, realisation on his face. That was all the answer Vincent needed.

"Maybe that's what's wrong. Perhaps if you try to think of her differently, your dreams might improve."

Silence hung between them. The minutes ticked by, each contemplating the events that were unfolding. After much thinking, Cloud broke the silence.

"Have you ever been forgiven for a sin?"

"I've never tried," Vincent answered. Cloud stood up.

"I think I'll try. If I find the answer, I'll let you know."

_**Authors' note: Again, it took ages for me to update. From now on, I'll be as quick as I can, but I won't be making any promises. Sorry all.**_

_**On another note, let's all love Vincent Valentine!**_

_**Laters!**_

_**L.C.**_

_**chaosxShion: Thank you so much for your continued support, it's much appreciated! Who's your favourite ff7 character?**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Well, here it goes."

Cloud was on the new airship that Cid had built, the Sierra. He had called Cid and asked him to take him to Midgar to where the kids had been taken by their 'masters.' Cid had picked up a few people along the way; namely Yuffie and Barret. The Avalanche founder had found an oil field near Corel, and was depending on Tifa to take care of Marlene while he worked. The lovable chain-smoker had yet to pick up Red XIII and Cait Sith. Why those two were working in Cosmo Canyon together he had no idea.

At the moment Cloud was alone in one of the three bedrooms that were located on the left wing of the Sierra. Though he hated to admit it, the geostigma attack and fight earlier had completely worn him out. There was still three hours until they reached Midgar, and Vincent had promised him that he'd pass on what he knew about the upcoming threat to the others. He figured he might as well get some shut-eye to refresh him. And perhaps he could try and tackle another problem too.

Vincent had told him he dreamt bad dreams of Aeris because he thought about her death too much. That maybe, if he thought good things about her, he'd dream good dreams too. Cloud wanted to try taking this one step further. Could he actually talk to her if he tried?

He sat cross-legged on the bed in the room (nailed down of course) leaning his head against the wooden backboard. He imagined Aeris, every feature that he could remember, which was everything. He imagined the different poses and gestures she would do; the way she would move, talk, laugh… or get angry…

"_What about us…… what are WE supposed to do? What about my pain? My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!"_

"Stop it Cloud," he whispered to himself. "The good things…"

He found himself living every moment with her, flicking through image after image like a photo album. He soon felt like he was being sucked through a portal, and then he just _dropped_, for want of a better word, into memory. He was standing in a clothes shop, looking at two people. One, which unfortunately was him, trying on a dress, and the other was her.

"_How…do you put this on?"_

_Aeris' head poked through the curtain._

"_Whoa! What are you doing!"_

Cloud laughed at himself. He remembered how he looked at that moment; panicked and embarrassed that a _girl_ he barely knew was seeing him half-naked.

Cloud's eyes narrowed in confusion as his surroundings blacked out but soon came back into focus. He was in the same place but he realised it was a different time. He had gotten the wig and had changed. Everyone was staring at him. But he looked quite good actually. No wonder Don Corneo mistook him for a girl…

"_Walk more nicely like…" Aeris walked around a bit, putting one foot in front of the other. "…this Miss Cloud," she said slyly._

"_What do you mean 'nicely'?" Cloud asked, dropping his hands in exasperation and shaking his head before complying with her request and walking 'nicely' over to her._

"_Oh you're so cute Miss Cloud," she laughed. "Aaah I want one," she said, turning to the shopkeeper. "Do you have one that'll look good on me too?"_

"_How's this?" the daughter of the shopkeeper asked, showing her a dress._

"_How about that one?" The shopkeeper pointed out a different dress._

"_Father what are you…"_

Cloud knew where this was going. She would pick out the slinky red dress. Cloud had never admitted it but he thought she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life the moment she stepped out of the changing room with that dress on. What he'd wanted to do when he saw her like that…

"_I'm going to change," Aeris said. She walked to the curtain and paused before turning back to look at them one at a time, staring at Cloud last and longest. _

Cloud noted something he'd never seen before; the slight blush that came to her cheeks as she looked at his 'woman self.'

"……_No peeking!"_

Cloud didn't get the time to see her once again in that beautiful number because he felt himself fall through the floor of the shop and landed on… a giant moogle?

He looked at the other two sitting figures.

"Oh, this time…" he murmured to himself. Probably the longest time that they had ever spent alone together. It was the closest he'd ever really been with her, besides the date…

"_What rank were you?" she asked. Cloud looked at her in momentary confusion._

"_Rank?"_

"_You know, in SOLDIER."_

"_Oh, I was… First Class." Aeris bowed her head at the mention of his rank._

"_Just the same as him."_

Cloud bowed his own head. Not the same. He had taken Zack's life from him and merged it with his own fragmented memories. He had never gotten to First Class. He had never gotten into SOLDIER for that matter. All Aeris had seen was his "Zack" persona.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. You didn't know."

Cloud's head snapped back upwards to seeing the two figures still conversing quietly. He didn't remember her ever saying that. Was he so messed up in the head then that he forgot his own memories of _her_?

He looked at her again, just wondering if she _ever_ saw him, and not her former boyfriend. Was her own attraction just based on that old spark she'd felt for that man, his friend?

He was suddenly catapulted back to Elmyra's house, where the two of them were talking in the kitchen.

"_Is Tifa…..a girl?" she said, crossing her arms behind her back._

_Cloud nodded. "Yeah."_

_Aeris leant forward, a trait Cloud had always noticed about her. She always did it to see under his blonde bangs into his eyes._

"_A girl….friend?" she asked timidly._

"_Girlfriend?" Cloud echoed. He shook his head madly. "No way!"_

"_Hee hee hee…." Aeris laughed, raising her hands to her face to cover her mouth. Cloud smiled at the way her hair bobbed up and down with each laugh. "You don't have to get THAT upset…"_

"_Well, that's…nice," she said, taking a step towards Cloud._

Cloud remembered that step. It was something so small, hardly what you would call noticeable, yet it had meant everything to him.

"And to me…"

The blonde warrior looked around. That voice again.

The scenery once again changed. He was in a room with a hard black floor and grey walls. The door was electronic, with a long red light across the top. It didn't take long to figure out that this was a cell the Shinra building. He saw a red and pink clad woman sit up on her bed and look at the side wall.

"_Cloud, are you there?" she asked._

Cloud sat down and leant his back against the wall, watching the scene unfold in front of his eyes like he'd played it before in his head hundreds of times before.

"_Aeris! You safe?" He heard his muffled voice coming from the other cell._

"_Yeah, I'm alright." she replied reassuringly. She threw her legs over the side of the bed, swinging them back and forth subconsciously. She looked at the wall opposite her, exactly where Cloud was sitting. It looked like she was staring straight at him. A face lit up with a secret smile._

"_I knew that Cloud would come for me."_

"_Hey, I'm your bodyguard, right?" he replied._

_Aeris hopped off the bed and walked to the door._

"_The deal was for one date, right?" she whisper-laughed._

"……_.oh, I get it," a female voice came from the room. Aeris shook her head and reeled back in surprise._

Cloud sniggered. He had known she was surprised but he'd never expected such a reaction out of her. He stopped suddenly, realising something.

"…_? Tifa!" she exclaimed. "Tifa, you're there too!"_

Cloud was in the other room. If this was his memory, than he should have been looking at Tifa right now.

"_EXCUSE me."_

The blonde warrior stood up, for something had clicked in his brain.

"I get it now," he said. "These aren't my memories, they're yours."

It was with those words that white light erupted from the ground, so bright that Cloud had to cover his eyes. It originated at the corners of the room and travelled inward, quickly enveloping him. The next thing he knew he was in a field of flowers, as far as the eye could see until it met with the blinding white sky above him. It felt like the same flower-bed from the dream he had several nights ago, but he knew it wasn't. Even so, the budding blooms were just as beautiful, bursting with fantastic colours. It took Cloud's mako eyes several seconds to take in everything he'd seen, before the corner of his eye caught a brief image; brown with a flash of pink…

Cloud gasped slightly. He couldn't utter a single word. This wasn't a memory. Had he really fallen asleep? His head started to spin around and darkness was clouding the corner of his eyes, threatening to return him to unconsciousness until he felt a gentle hand close on his left arm. The place where his wound, where his ribbon was. Cloud was jolted back to reality.

"You came," the light, soft, bubbly voice spoke. The voice that was all too familiar to him; that had been haunting him for the past two years. "Though you're about to break, right?" She paused for a second, as if thinking of something extremely complex.

"Question!" she piped up. "Why have you come?"

Cloud was dumbfounded. This was really her; not Jenova, not bad dreams. His Aeris. After all this time, he was finally talking to her.

"I think," he said, "I want to be forgiven." He nodded. "Yeah, I want to be forgiven."

Her next words were laughed, as if she found his statement rather amusing.

"By whom?"

Cloud looked behind. Instead of her smiling face though he saw a metal wall. He sat up slowly and rested his head once more against the backboard. He felt good; better than he had in a long time really. For the first time in months he hadn't woken up drenched in sweat with his heart pounding in his chest. For the first time, he wasn't scared or haunted. The tips of his fingers were trembling with the excitement of what he'd just experienced, and even though he knew that Aeris was dead, he had been _speaking_ with her. She was safe, she was happy. That alone was all Cloud needed to know to make him content.

Perhaps he could live for her after all.

He laughed. The rippling sound was unfamiliar to the room, and he supposed, to himself. He hadn't laughed in the longest time. Now, he was clutching his sides in pain, trying to stop. He rolled on the bed, giggling insanely into the duvet cover which only created a more humorous muffled sound, which in turn made him laugh even harder.

The door burst open. Cid, a very sick looking Yuffie, Barret and Vincent ran into the room.

"Cloud!" Barret yelled. He rushed up to the blonde man and shook his shoulders forcefully. "Cloud, man, are you okay?"

"Is he crying?" Yuffie asked anxiously.

"He looks to be in serious pain," Cid replied, joining Barret at Cloud's side. "We gotta stop him convulsing!"

"He's fine," Vincent said, turning and walking out.

"How can you act like this?" Yuffie screamed after him, stamping her foot in frustration. "Can't you see-" She stopped, looking over at Cloud. Barret and Cid had turned him over.

"He's in so much pain he's hysterical!" she exclaimed. She slotted a cure materia into her armlet and casted cure.

"Yuffie, he's alright," Barret said. Cloud was still laughing like a madman, though he was taking deep breaths to try and compose himself.

"What happened Cloud?" Cid asked.

"I-" he snorted, trying to stop desperately. "I…don't know."

"Arrgh!" the ninja grunted in annoyance. "Don't worry me like that!" She stormed from the room, muttering something along the lines of "chocobo-haired freak" and about wasting a good cure spell. The three watched her exit in silence, well, close to silence. Cloud was shoving his fist in his mouth and shaking in silent mirth.

"You sure you okay?" Barret asked him. Cloud nodded and waited a few seconds before finally feeling his laughter subside.

"Yeah."

"Not the funniest time to laugh you know. Vincent told us about the kids."

"I know, I know," he said. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright Cloud," Cid replied. "I just don't think I've _ever_ heard you laugh. Well, except maybe in the Temple of the Ancients, but you had gone completely wacko then. Shit, things must really be bad." The blonde warrior shrugged.

"And here I thought things were starting to look up."

"How can you say that when the kids-"

"Hello boys!" a cheery voice sounded from outside the door. Cloud winced. Barret put his head in his hands. Cid lit up a cigarette. Cait Sith strode in, on Nanaki?

"What?" the cat asked. "Aren't you guys happy to see me?"

"New mog?" Barret asked. Red XIII glared.

"Don't even start," he warned.

"Seriously though Reeve, what happened to it?"

"Hyperactive kids at the Gold Saucer," he replied. "And while I have this thing, I'm Cait Sith!"

"Reeve…"

"Cait Sith," he protested. Barret rolled his eyes.

"Fine."

Cid took a long puff of his cigarette. "So why tame the wild beast?" Red XIII growled menacingly.

"I'm helping the ol' guy sort out some things in the Canyon. Until that's done, free piggyback rides!"

"Humans," muttered Red. "It's good to see you again Cloud," he said turning to him. The blonde nodded in his direction.

"What predicament have Avalanche got themselves into now?" Cait asked, waving his arms in the air for emphasis.

"If you want the full story, talk to Vincent," Barret said flatly.

"Come on Cait," Red said, turning from the crowded room.

"But, but I don't want the explanation from that _vampire_," Cait replied, gripping the beast's fur. "Turn back, turn back!"

And here Cloud thought he was going to get a few hours peace and quiet. So much for that. He should have learned from his travels two years ago that 'quiet' and 'Avalanche' didn't belong in the same sentence.

He hiccupped. Barret and Cid sighed.

_Authors' Note: Hi everyone, thanks for reading! I personally am happy with this chapter, so I hope you all liked it too! Reviews always welcomed!_

_L.C_

_Inguz: Wow, thanks for, well, everything! I feel so chuffed to get all those lovely encouraging reviews from you so thanks! And you're Irish too! High fives Nice to know there are ff nuts in my country too!_

_: Thank you, here's your update!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The roar of Bahamut Sin echoed across the city of Midgar, sending the already panicked townspeople into complete hysteria. Tifa battled her way through the stampeding mob to where the children were located; encircling the Meteor Monument. They were all still, looking down on the ground as if nothing were wrong. She wondered why they were there, and also wondered with building fury what Kadaj had done to them.

Then she saw him.

"Denzel!" she cried, sprinting the last few metres to the young boy, dodging as many as she could. There were some people in such disarray that she nearly had to throw them out of her path. The eight year old boy didn't respond.

"Denzel? Denzel!" she repeated, grabbing his shoulders and shaking them forcefully. It took an impossibly long time for his head to rise, but when it did, Tifa recoiled in shock. His pupils had become cat-eye slits and there was nothing there. He was an empty vessel.

"What has he done to you?" she asked, feeling fear creep over her like an icy hand.

"There she is!" shouted Barret, pointing through the glass bottom of the upper deck of the Sierra.

"What's she doing?" Cid asked in bewilderment. "There are Shadow Creepers everywhere!"

"Not to mention _that _thing," Cait said, pointing to the flying abomination. "We have to get down there fast."

"Anything we do is fine. I don't really care as long as I get off this stupid stinking airship!" Yuffie almost yelled. She had turned a sickly shade of green.

Cid's jaw dropped slightly.

"Yuffie," he said in a dangerous tone. Most of the other AVALANCHE members took an involuntary step backwards in fear. "What did you call my Sierra?"

If Cid didn't look so formidable at that moment one could have almost laughed at his strained politeness. Apparently those anger management classes Shera had nagged him into going to were working.

Yuffie didn't get the hint of menace behind Cid's voice and continued to complain, oblivious to his ever darkening face.

"I called it a smelly, inconvenient, bucket of bolts that you think would run smoothly but nooooo, it _has_ to jolt and shudder worse than my thirty year old Mini that cuts out every five sec-"

Yuffie stopped mid-sentence because Cid had flung her over his shoulder and had started marching to the upper deck. She couldn't speak or act for the first few seconds out of shock but nothing ever shut up Yuffie Kisaragi for long.

"Cid, you perv! I thought after marrying Shera you'd stray less, you know, you being so easy and all but here you are, trying it on with a girl who's half your age! I forbid it! I'm not goanna let me get in the way of you two. Were you waiting till I had come of age or something? I knew ever since we met that you liked me but this is taking it too far! Put me down now or I'll scream rape!"

Cid didn't reply which only infuriated Yuffie even more. She started kicking and punching the pilot but the blows were barely felt as Cid was so furious he didn't feel any pain whatsoever. He strode up the last few steps and reached the deck. Yuffie had taken to biting him in the shoulder but ceased as soon as she realised what he was doing.

"No way Cid," she yelled. "No way are you doing this to me again, not after last time!" Cid threw her wriggling body on the floor. Yuffie writhed and squirmed to get away, but Cid's strong hands held her fast.

"Do you know how bad I felt afterwards?" she said, trying to reason with him. "I couldn't walk properly for hours! Let me go!"

"See ya kid," he said with a grin, strapping the parachute onto her back and throwing her over the rail.

"I didn't think he'd actually snap like that," Cloud said thoughtfully to the others.

"Yeah," replied Barret. "But I can't say I blame him. I probably would have been the same."

"Should we go after them? Who knows what Cid can do? I've never seen him that angry before. He didn't even swear."

"You worry too much Red," Cait stated. "They'll be fine."

It was as if on cue a screaming Yuffie Kisaragi fell past the window. All the AVALANCHE members blinked. Then they turned back to their conversation.

"I didn't think he'd have the nerve," Barret said in a somewhat proud voice. He raised an imaginary champagne glass to the deck. "Kudos to you, Cid Highwind."

"She had a parachute on," Vincent deadpanned, breaking the mood.

"Oh," he replied quietly.

There were disappointed sighs throughout the room.

Tifa let go of Denzel, fully aware that nothing she could say would bring him back. Zanagan had always told her not to hold onto false hope in a hopeless situation. Instead he told her to find a different way to deal with things. She had to find out what was controlling them.

As Tifa looked to the skies she found her answer. A huge beast came plunging towards the Meteor monument, its master, a silver haired man. Even though Tifa had never seen him in her life she knew immediately that this was Kadaj. It was only after seeing him that she noticed that he was controlling Bahamut, except this summon was warped, darker than usual. This of course only meant bad things for Tifa.

The hulking beast landed on the monument with a grace that seemed very unusual for a monster that size. Kadaj dismounted slowly, almost tauntingly. Bahamut rose up again into the air and circled where the silver haired man stood. His hand raised in the air. Tifa braced herself for an attack but was surprised when all he did was click his fingers. Each child's face snapped up sharply to look at him. At least now she knew what was controlling them.

"My loyal servants!" Kadaj addressed the group. Tifa felt a slight touch of insanity radiating from him that made her shudder. "The time for the reunion has almost come!"

"Kadaj!" Tifa yelled. The teen completely ignored her and continued his speech.

"Mother is waiting for us! She is pleading for us to return to save her from the captivity she has been forced to endure."

"These kids have nothing to do with this, let them go!" she screamed at him. Kadaj dropped his raised hands and slowly turned to face her. Tifa couldn't help but flinch under his intense glare.

"It's rude to interrupt someone when they're speaking," he said derisively. He jumped down from the monument and walked towards her in the same, unhurried manner. Tifa found herself rooted to the ground, unable to do anything except watch each step he took towards her. Soon there was only a hairs breath between their faces.

"These children have everything to do with this. They were blessed with mother's mark. These are the one's that will bring salvation to Gaia."

"They're only children, and they're sick…" Tifa protested weakly.

"These children are going to the Promised Land. Isn't a lifetime of suffering worth an eternity of paradise?"

"No… that's just twisted logic!"

"You think the same as our traitorous brother."

"Cloud?" she asked bewilderedly.

"So you know him. He could have been great you know. He could have been the ultimate warrior, even greater than Sephiroth."

"Cloud is ten times the man Sephiroth was," she hissed fervently. Kadaj's eyes narrowed dangerously. Tifa lifted her hands in defence but Kadaj caught them easily and forced them back to her sides. She stepped backwards. Kadaj smiled; a sick, twisted smile that made her stomach churn.

"You're afraid of me," he commented. He pulled her back towards him, forcing her to meet his eyes. Tifa squirmed in his grip.

"But you don't know scared I can make you," he whispered. "What my brother did would be nothing by the time I would be through with you." Kadaj laughed and roughly threw her on the ground with such a force that it made her head spin. He looked over her a few seconds more before turning his back and walking away.

"Remember that before you interrupt me again," he finished, waving his hand. The children immediately followed, including, much to Tifa's despair, Denzel.

"No!" she cried, regaining her courage and bolting forwards in a blind attack. Kadaj saw it coming easily and landed his foot in her stomach, throwing her backwards into the stone monument. Tifa clutched her body in pain. The teen sighed and shook his head.

"Don't do that again," he said. He motioned to Bahamut who came swooping down to meet him.

"Take care of her," he ordered, pointing at the brunette. "And blow up that ridiculous statue while you're at it." The monster soared into the air once more and reared, opening his mouth in an ear-splitting roar. Blue energy started to gather at his mouth. Tifa had summoned Bahamut on countless enemies during her adventures two years ago, and knew the devastation of that particular attack. The enemies didn't just die. They were incinerated. So she did the only rational thing her brain could think of; she picked herself up off the ground and ran like hell.

Kadaj flicked his hand in an upwards motion. Twelve Shadow Creepers materialised from the ground and lunged at Tifa. Instinctively she jumped backwards to avoid their snapping jaws, but realised too late what their real goal was. Each one circled the brunette, preventing any escape. Her eyes snapped up to Kadaj's figure, watching her with amusement.

"I can't possibly have you following me and interfering with mother's plans," he laughed. Tifa never wanted to wring anyone's neck more. "The fact that you are a friend of my brother's just makes this more entertaining. If there's anything left of you could it tell him I'm at the Shinra Building? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm a busy man." He waved mockingly and left, each chid following with the diligence of any servant.

She took a step forward. Three of the Shadow Creepers advanced, barring their teeth and growling menacingly. The other nine monsters tightened the circle. Tifa sighed in frustration and returned to her original position. The three Shadow Creepers also retreated.

"So that's how you're going to play," she murmured softly to herself. She glanced upwards to see how much time she had. Bahamut had gathered only about a third of the energy it needed. That gave her about a minute and a half. In spite of herself she laughed.

"Right," she said to no one in particular, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "My choices are to be burnt to death or ripped to shreds. Which to choose, which to choose..."

Tifa took a deep breath and clenched her fists. Then, with a scream rushed to engage the awaiting Shadow Creepers.

Cid landed the Sierra neatly and asked his trainee pilot to steer it away from Bahamut Sin so it wouldn't "cause his baby any damage". Cloud wondered what he'd be like if he had real children someday. Actually, he'd didn't want to wonder. If it was a choice between the Sierra and Cid Junior, the airship would probably win outright. He entered the garage near the exit ramp to find his bike ready for him, all scratches and tears mended, and once more filled with fuel.

"Hey Cid, thanks for the present!" he yelled upwards. The pilot's head appeared from over the rail above him.

"Don't mention it Cloud, just let me mess around with it when we get back. Who knows? I might make it a better than before."

"As long as it doesn't blow up old man, then do what you want."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Unfortunately, I know you will."

"Yo Cloud!" Barret' head joined Cid looking over the railing.

"What is it?"

"Tifa and the kids are at the monument," he said.

"Thanks. I'll get them back safe Barret, so don't worry."

"That's not what I'm worried about. The cat said he saw both Bahamut Sin and Kadaj there too." Cloud banged in fist off the seat in anger.

"I swear, if he even hurts even one of them..."

"We haven't got time for thinking Cloud, just take Fenrir and go! We'll catch up as soon as we can."

"Alright," he replied, jumping onto the seat and starting the engine. Cid lowered the ramp.

"Good luck man, we'll see you in a bit."

"Later," he replied, kicking the accelerator into action and racing off into Midgar City.

_**Authors Note**_

_**I can't believe it's been almost three months. I don't deserve to live. I had so much more I wanted to put into this chapter but one, I think you waited long enough for this and it's not the shortest chapter I've written and two, I can't put the other part into words. Damn writers block. Thanks for reading everyone!**_

_**L.C.**_

_**To my reviewers:**_

**_Lilmione: wonderful penname! Thank you for all your reviews, they're so encouraging. I like when Cloud's a bit confused too, because angst-ridden Cloud is so much fun to write about. Cloud dreamt her memories because it was her way of connecting with him. When Cloud realised it was her memories, the connection brought them together, where before, it was only the stigma doing that. Usually these things make better sense in my brain, sorry for confusion. And I knew Aeris was going to die, my friend told me she died in disc three and when she died in disc one I was so annoyed cause I had levelled her up so much to get great gospel. Even now I still do it! I went to bed that night just thinking, she's gone. I can't believe she's gone... Thanks for reading._**

_**Outfoxed: Believe me it is quite hard to keep this going. I do have an ending though, and I'm forcing myself to write in between before writing it so I'll actually finish this. Nevertheless, I find this so much fun to write about so all's good! Thanks for reading.**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Tifa winced as a Shadow Creeper bit into her arm. She used her free hand to let a punch fly into its nose. It recoiled immediately. Two more took its place and pounced on her. She fell back, slamming her head against the ground. White spots danced in front of her vision. She shook her head furiously to exile them.

The shadow creepers had her pinned. One loomed over her, his teeth bared, but he didn't attack. So Kadaj only wanted her to be finished by Bahamut Sin. At least that gave her some sort of advantage. Tifa wriggled underneath the monster and managed to free her right hand which she used to give a jaw-shattering uppercut to the creature. It roared in pain; then fell to the side. Only five left.

The other Shadow Creepers sprang onto Tifa, but she rolled adroitly to the side and avoided them all. She jumped to her feet and ran. One whom she didn't see leaped into the air and managed to catch her leg in its teeth, making her acquainted with the stone pavement once more. Twisting her body around she slammed her foot in its side. A deafening roar was heard and she realised that Bahamut Sin was almost ready to attack. Panic welled up inside her and she beat back the Shadow Creepers with pure desperation.

Until suddenly she realised she was fighting nothing, and that Cloud had grabbed her and hurtled them away from the battle on Fenrir. Tifa had never been so grateful for that thing in her whole life.

An explosion rattled the ground beneath them which made the bike unsteady and threw them off. She hit the ground hard, but she knew it was better than being incinerated. Cloud appeared above her and offered his hand. She took it and he helped her up.

"What happened to the kids and Kadaj?" he asked.

"They went to the Shinra building," she answered.

"Thanks," he said quickly. He straightened his bike, hopped onto it and took off towards the deserted ruins before the brunette had a chance to even speak.

"Tifa!" a voice yelled. She turned to see Yuffie running towards her. "Tifa, are you hurt? I saw the explosion-"

"I'm fine," she said reassuringly. "Where are the others?"

"That bastard threw me over," she said, her face darkening. "I almost got sick all over Midgar too. Oh, he is not going to hear the end of this. As soon as he's asleep I'll-"

"Yuffie?" Tifa interjected worryingly.

"Yeah?" she answered innocently.

"Never mind. I don't think I want to know."

Cloud found it very difficult to manoeuvre his bike around the city. The Shadow Creepers that attacked Tifa were not the only ones in Midgar; there were dozens prowling around after the frantic stampeding citizens. They were in their element; the inhabitants of Midgar were plentiful and unorganised. Cloud's blade had cut down many since he had arrived, but even so he had hardly made a dent in their numbers.

He saw a flash of blue behind him, followed by a sickening crash. Bahamut was not at a loss when it came to mindless destruction. He heard the attack be met by gunfire. He smiled, knowing his friends could handle the summon easily.

Even if Tifa hadn't known where Kadaj was, the Shinra Building would have probably been the first place he would have gone anyway. The thought that Kadaj might lie did not seem like a possibility. He had called him his brother after all. He probably wanted him to see the reunion as much as Cloud wanted to stop it. Cloud had an aggressive feeling inside him, much like the time he felt himself being drawn to Sephiroth's reunion at the Northern Crater. At that time, he thought it had been his lust for revenge that spurred him onwards. How foolish he had been...

Nevertheless, though circumstances were substantially different, the feeling he got was exactly the same. Maybe Kadaj would succeed in the reunion. It would all depend on how strong he was, and how strong his own will would be.

A figure sat alone on a motorbike in front of him, blocking his route. He was a very tall man, with long hair that blew gently around his face from the wind. His feminine features hid a powerful strength about him, a strength that any amateur fighter would miss instantly. His gunblade was aimed at Cloud's chest. The blonde warrior stopped Fenrir.

"Hello brother," Yazoo greeted quietly, though clear enough for Cloud to hear.

"Don't call me that," he said shortly.

"But you are!" he laughed, jumping off his bike, gun still trained at his adversary. Cloud dismounted his in turn. "We both share mother's cells therefore we are the same."

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't compare me to the likes of you," he spat viciously, reaching for his sword. His actions were met with a bullet to the top of his hand. Said appendage retracted immediately.

"Not yet," said Yazoo, shaking his head in disapproval. "Let's play nice for a while and talk."

"I didn't think 'play nice' was in your vocabulary," Cloud countered.

"Oh, my brother has a sense of humour, how refreshing."

"Where are the kids, Yazoo?" he asked. "What do you want with them?"

"I'm sure you know as well as I do that I'm not going to answer those questions," he replied bluntly.

"Is Kadaj at the Shinra Building?"

"Inquisitive, aren't we? Well, I suppose I can indulge you with the answer to one question. Yes, Kadaj is there. Preparations for the reunion are almost complete. All we need is our guest of honour."

"Jenova," Cloud said darkly.

"I wish you wouldn't speak mother's name with such malice. All she wants is to bring order."

"How can you call this order?" Cloud asked, pointing to the flaming city behind him. "That's chaos you're creating, not order!"

"For order to be gained there needs to be chaos. One cannot exist without the other. For us to save the world we must make it see what we see. Then they'll understand."

"So once you kill them all they'll see and understand? You have some fantastic logic there. All you want to do is needlessly kill!"

"We kill those who do not wish to see," Yazoo said simply. "The President was one of those."

"What the hell does this have to do with Rufus?" he demanded.

"He was a thief and a liar. He stole Jenova from us, made her suffer. We asked for her back, but he said he never had her." He looked up with a sneer. "He blamed you. He said that you had taken her."

"Is that why you were after me? Is that why you attacked me in the Forgotten Capital? Is that why you hurt Tifa in the church?"

"Ah, the woman. Pity. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, she is also one that does not see. Unfortunately, I must admit that that means you as well brother. I'm sorry, but you won't be able to experience the glory of the reunion with us. You are not worthy to participate."

"Your reunion can go to hell!" Cloud yelled.

Yazoo squeezed the trigger.

"Yuffie! On your left!"

The ninja ducked just in time to miss the swinging tail of Bahamut Sin aimed at her head. She jumped up and threw her shuriken after it.

"Thanks Vinnie!" she grunted in a quick reply. Had the gunslinger not been so preoccupied he would have retorted coldly that his name was Vincent. He jumped deftly onto one of the higher beams and fired six quick shots from his Death Penalty. He jumped higher (reloading in midair of course, because he's Vincent) and fired one precisely aimed shot under the monster's armour. He frowned, expecting a reaction from the beast but getting none.

"What's wrong, Vincent?" Barret yelled.

"I assumed the skin under Bahamut Sin's armour would be weaker, but clearly I was mistaken," he shouted in reply.

"Maybe my spear would work!" Cid roared, jumping up onto the beast's arm. He ran up along it and plunged the Venus Gospel into his neck. Bahamut let out a shriek of pain and bolted upwards, throwing the pilot off its back.

"When we summoned him to fight for us that kind of shot would have finished him off!" she screamed. "That is NOT fair!"

"You alright Cid?" Barret asked, catching the pilots hand mid-fall and throwing him onto the rail. The chain-smoker nodded briefly, drawing several raspy breaths before righting himself.

"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered. Cait Sith hopped up beside them.

"I was built to entertain the workers at company picnics, not this! So you can forget your age!" Cid ignored him and instead concentrated on the fire materia in his spear, casting a powerful fire spell. It barely scuffed the armour on Bahamuts head. Cid leaned over the rail to look below him.

"Yuffie!" he called.

"Yeah?" came the distracted reply.

"Forget the materia! Magic's no good here!"

"WHAT?"

Vincent jumped onto a ledge beside Tifa.

"What do we do now?" she asked. Vincent reloaded his gun.

"Did you hear what Cid said? Magic is of no use against him. Possibly because he is borne of magic himself."

"What can I do? My fists are no match for that thing; your bullets aren't even doing anything to it!"

"You can jump," he said distractedly, catching her wrist and launched off the suspended beam, narrowly missing the jagged claws of Bahamut Sin. The area they had just vacated was now in shreds; shrapnel was thrown everywhere and dug into Tifa's bare arms like little knives, drawing splatters of crimson blood. The whole world slowed for those brief few seconds as she and Vincent hung in the air before plummeting down. Tifa's whole body froze; she felt numb as she watched herself come closer and closer to the pavement.

There was a sickening screech as metal ground against metal and both individuals came to a slow stop. Tifa looked up to see Vincent hanging on to one of the many drab, grey metal beams with his golden claw. She looked down at the ground, and back up at the gunslinger. It was here Tifa's senses kicked back into action.

"Vincent," she said in a somewhat panicked voice. "Whatever you do, please don't drop me!"

"Stop thrashing about," he deadpanned. "You'll lose your grip and you'll fall." Tifa did as she was told and became still, waiting for their swinging bodies to stop. Cautiously she grabbed Vincent's other wrist with her other hand to make herself more secure.

"Why isn't he after us?" she asked.

"Barret drew it away with some cover fire. We don't have much time. Climb up my back onto the rail."

"I-" she stuttered. Vincent looked down at her blankly.

"What? You're not afraid, are you?"

"I, well, uh-"

"Tifa, if you don't climb up you'll fall."

"I can't! I just can't, I'm too scared. What if I slip, what if I-"

"Tifa, if you don't climb up onto that beam in the next three seconds I'm going to drop us both."

The young woman looked into his eyes. She didn't think he was actually serious, but his eyes told her a different story. Slowly, hesitantly, she reached for the belt around his waist. She took a deep breath to steel herself and proceeded to climb up Vincent's remarkably toned body. She thought somewhat distractedly that you never really did know everything about someone until you climbed on them.

Next thing Tifa knew, she was standing on the beam. Vincent caught the metal girder with his other hand and flipped up onto it without as much as a grunt. Tifa chuckled. Vincent looked at her curiously.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said with a smile. Trust Vincent to do things the most elaborate way possible and think nothing of it.

There was a multitude of cursing as Barret's bullets ran out. Bahamut Sin, no longer distracted, circled around and flew straight for his two previous targets.

"Tifa, you must go and help Cloud." She stopped at the mention of his name.

"What? Why?"

"You said it yourself, you're useless here. Cloud can't handle all three of them alone, and the kids are there too. They'll want to see a familiar face when they're saved."

The monster let out a roar and once again started gathering blue energy in its mouth. Tifa stared at it for a brief second and then jumped onto the main support.

"Good luck, Vincent!" she called before climbing down.

"Good luck, Tifa," he replied quietly.

_**Authors Note:**_

**_Hi everyone. This chapter was focused mainly on Tifa; something I never thought would happen when I started writing this. I think there one or two chapters left, and an epilogue, which I have yet to type up. Hopefully, since it is summer they'll be posted soon, but no promises as they always tend to go belly up. I'll try though!_**

_**Thanks for reading, as always reviews are appreciated!**_

_**LC**_

_**Adhar: Sorry I took so long to update...again. I'm glad you like it and thank you so much for reviewing!**_

**_lilmione: I actually like Yuffie a lot. She's a really underdeveloped character and I think it's great making her suffer, cause it always makes me laugh! (I'm so evil I know) I used Aeris as my healer too. When she was gone, Yuffie took over, lol. Well, she did have a healing limit break so she qualifies! Thanks so much for reviewing again! (gives you big hug and a Cloud plushie)_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Tifa ran as fast as she ever did in her entire life. She ran past the screaming crowds, she ran past fallen debris, she jumped over the partially destroyed road and even then kept running. The only sound that she remembered hearing was her shoes pounding off the drab, hard concrete roads. Her only thoughts, well, that was anyone's guess, but they were most certainly centred on one particular person. She didn't see anything else, she didn't feel anything else; she just ran.

The kids, the orphans she'd taken in who had nowhere else to go needed her. They needed her to help them. Even if Cloud was there he couldn't do everything on his own. He needed help too, everybody needed help sometimes.

The Shinra building appeared before her. The sight of it made Tifa put everything into one last sprint. Her eyes focused on a silver haired man standing on the roof, surrounded by a mass of children; the orphans Tifa had taken care of as if they were her own. Rage started to well up inside her. She would find that man, and tear him limb from limb.

The brunette was so consumed in her fury that she almost didn't notice two motorcycles parked near the entrance to the Shinra building. One of them was Fenrir. Tifa stopped, almost tripping because her body kept wanting to propel her forward. She looked wildly around. There was no one here. Why would they just park and leave like that? She looked on the ground, noticing drops of blood for the first time. Maybe they didn't just park and leave like that, maybe that was just the way they wanted it to look...

"Cloud?" she asked the air around her. "Cloud, if you're here, please answer me!"

She approached the motorcycle with caution. Was he already inside, heading for Kadaj? Her eyes travelled past the bike to see a limp form lying on the ground, which made her breath catch in her throat. It wasn't, it couldn't be... The former student of Zanagan took three shaky steps forward and seeing the unconscious man's face made her own flood with relief.

"Yazoo," she mused. She had never seen him before, but his long silver hair and striking resemblance to Sephiroth left no doubt in her mind. She stooped down and put two fingers to his neck. She was surprised to find a pulse; rapid and weak, but a pulse nonetheless. Cloud was becoming more compassionate by the day. It had all started when he had brought Denzel back to the house...

"_What's wrong?" she asked. Cloud said nothing, but gestured to the boy nestled in his arms. He was very young; he couldn't have been more than ten. He was unconscious and his black clothes matched Cloud's so well that it was no wonder she didn't notice him first glance._

"_Where did you find him?" she pressed, leading him upstairs into the spare room. Cloud placed him on the bed and pulled back his hair._

"_He's got geostigma," he said quietly, pointing to the black, oozing wound on his forehead. Tifa frowned; he had blatantly avoided her question. Yet another one of his secrets that he didn't have to keep. She didn't pursue the matter further though, and let it go for now. The boy was in serious pain and right now, that seemed more important than a petty squabble._

"_Poor thing," she said sympathetically, going to the next room and emerging a few seconds later with a potion and a white cloth. "He's so young." Cloud made a noise of agreement and applied some of the potion onto the cloth before resting it on the boy's forehead._

"_Hey," he said, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I don't know if you can hear this, but my name is Cloud, and the girl with me is Tifa. I'll want my bed back so you better wake up soon, okay?"_

_Marlene peeked inside. Cloud cut his conversation short and gave her a simple nod in greeting. The young girl's face lit up seeing her 'uncle Cloud.'_

"_You're back!" she exclaimed. "I thought you'd be working for another few days at least..." she trailed off, noticing their sombre faces and the boy lying in bed._

"_Who's he?" she asked._

"_He's a sick boy," Tifa replied. "Cloud found him. We're going to take care of him for a while." Marlene looked at the boy curiously._

"_What's his name?" Tifa looked at Cloud expectantly but he just shook his head._

"_I don't know; he was unconscious when I found him."_

"_Oh..." she said with a sigh. The boy made a restless murmur. Cloud's face softened. _

"_He's waking up," he said in relief._

"_Thank goodness," she agreed._

"_Tifa, could you make him something? He must be hungry."_

"_Uh, yeah... no problem," she said, taking Marlene's hand. "Let's make him our specialty soup," she whispered to the girl with a wink._

"_Okay!" she chirped merrily, and walked downstairs with her to the kitchen. Tifa started running the water and filled the sink. She peeled and chopped some carrots, but her movement slowed after each one. Finally she stopped._

"_Marlene? Could you finish these? I'll be back in a few seconds." The girl nodded and started to sing a song as she pulled a chair up to the sink. She needed to stand on it to reach it, something Tifa smiled at as she walked back upstairs. She paused close to the open door of the spare room. She could hear their voices clearly, though they were low. One was scared and confused, while the other was calm and reassuring._

"_...about six months, I guess," the boy's voice could be heard. "It hurts a lot."_

"_I'm sure it does," Cloud agreed. "Six months is a long time. You're a strong kid you know."_

"_What does it matter?" he asked angrily. "No one lives, they all just die anyway."_

"_Don't say that. You're only... what age?"_

"_Nine. I'm almost ten you know," he said proudly._

"_See? If you keep fighting, you'll live to see fifty, I know you will."_

"_What age are you?" he asked._

"_I'm twenty-three, why?"_

"_Just, wanted to know, that's all."_

"_Have you been living on your own all this time? _

"_...yeah."_

"_I'm impressed," Cloud said. "You're free to stay with us for a while if you want, Denzel."_

"_You pronounced it right!"_

"_I knew I'd get it eventually," he replied with a laugh. There was a short silence. Tifa was about to leave when Denzel spoke again._

"_I'd like that, to stay with you I mean," he said thoughtfully._

"_You're welcome to stay as long as you like. I'm not going to turn an orphan out the door. It would be like I was shutting the door on a part of me."_

"_You were an orphan too?"_

"_Yeah, my dad died in the war and my mum passed away when I was sixteen."_

"_How did she die?"_

"_...she was murdered," Cloud said quietly._

"_Oh. My parents died when the Sector Seven plate fell."_

_Tifa cringed .That was a day she would rather forget. Too many people had died that day, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie... now she knew two more... She was so immersed in her own feelings that she almost missed his next question._

"_What was that place? I've never seen any place like it in my life."_

"_What, where I found you?"_

"_Yeah. It was really pretty. I felt... different when I was in there, a bit warm."_

"_It's called the Sector Five church. Nobody knows its real name anymore."_

_Tifa's whole body tensed. So _that's_ where he was. _That_ was the reason he said he'd be late. At least he could have had the common decency to tell her where his secret rendezvous was._

"_How did you find it in the first place?" Denzel asked. "I've been living here all my life, and I only saw it today. I had never even heard of it."_

"_I, uh... fell upon it," Cloud said simply. The young boy made a puzzled sound but the blonde didn't elaborate any further. "There used to be a woman who went there everyday to tend the flowers."_

"_Was she your girrl-friennnnd?" he asked in a singsong voice. Cloud laughed, somewhat sadly._

"_No, she wasn't."_

"_Is she the girl who's staying here?" he questioned innocently._

"_No, that's Tifa. She's really lovely, don't let me catch you being mean to her or you're dead meat."_

"_What happened to the other girl?"_

"_She... had to leave," he said in an even quieter tone._

"_Why?"_

"_Cause her place wasn't here, that's why, Mr. Nosy," Cloud said. His voice had this forced brightness to it that Tifa found very unnerving._

"_Ow! Don't poke my nose!" he said with a laugh._

"_You were asking for it you nosy little..."_

_Tifa crept away quietly._

Ever since Denzel had come, the four of them had become closer, and Cloud had been even more reluctant to fight than ever. He took jobs closer to home, and if he took longer jobs he took the safer route to and from the destination. He even started taking time once every two weeks or so to take the kids out walking in the hills near Kalm, or even as far as Wutai to see their Aunt Yuffie. She had thought their life was good, she never expected him to just disappear in the night. She thought he was happy, that maybe they were both happy, together. Unfortunately for her, fantasies like that would only ever be fantasies.

"Nothing left to do here," she muttered, and ran into the Shinra building. She could hear the sounds of battle, getting louder and louder as she ran. The clash of metal could be heard distinctly; the echoing sound reverberating through the empty corridors. Tifa jumped several times when an especially devastating clash made her feel the battle was right behind her.

And suddenly, it was right in front of her.

Cloud and Loz were fighting furiously, each trading blow for blow. No one seemed to have the upper hand, it was just and ever-lengthening flurry of movement. Tifa was transfixed for precious seconds; seeing the two twist round each other, clash their weapons briefly and bolt away, the action complete. And it would start over again, the dance continuing. They did not notice her, too busy trying to better the other; searching constantly for some gap, some small slip or weakness that would make everything come to a fast abrupt end.

It wasn't any weakness or imperfection of technique that stopped their fight, but a shower of icicles that rained down on Loz's body. The burley fighter gasped in surprise and threw his hands over his head to stop the onslaught of frozen daggers.

Cloud looked up sharply at Tifa, who merely smiled. He wavered momentarily, and then nodded and darted down the corridor. The spell ended, and Tifa was on him in an instant, launching attack after attack. Loz sneered at her, blocking them easily.

"I was enjoying that fight," he said gruffly, annoyed by her sudden appearance.

"Guess I'll just have to do then," she replied, throwing three punches, followed by a sweeping kick. It caught him, plunging him to the floor. Tifa attempted a stamp to his body, but he caught her and flung her against the wall.

"You little pest!" he insulted her. "I should have finished you last time." Tifa got to her feet, wiping the blood seeping from her forehead.

"I am **_NOT_** going to lose to you again!"

Cloud sprinted up the steps, taking two at a time, all the while cursing that the lift wasn't working. He flew past the head office (what was left after Diamond Weapon's work) and out onto the roof. Kadaj was waiting for him. All the children encircled the silver-haired warrior, refusing Cloud the opportunity of a quick attack.

"Kadaj!" Cloud called, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at him. "Let the childr-"

"Oh, that's all I've been hearing today," he said with a sigh. "These children are here to see mother."

"I don't care about that stupid woman! This is between you and me; they have nothing to do with this!"

"We found her you know," he said with the delight of a small child, continuing as if Cloud had never said a word. He held out the box that was cradled in the crook of his right arm.

Yazoo's words entered the blonde man's head:

"_He was a thief and a liar. He stole Jenova from us, made her suffer. We asked for her back, but he said he never had her."_

"What have you done with Rufus?" he demanded, a touch of panic entering his voice. The teen half-grinned and nodded at the kids. They parted, revealing Kadaj's whole figure, with something crumpled at his feet. Kadaj picked up the lifeless body of a man in white. Cloud froze, his senses refusing to believe what he was seeing. He knew the kid was cruel, but he never thought he would go that far...

"I apologise for accusing you, brother. It turned out this other traitor had her all along." Kadaj looked at the man with a faint smile and threw him off the roof in disgust.

"You heartless bastard," he snarled.

"But it's okay now," he reassured himself, looking down at the box in complete adoration. Cloud thought he looked like a man possessed. "Everything's okay, mother is here. The reunion can finally take place." Kadaj looked at Cloud and smiled. He ripped the top off the box.

"NO!"

_**Author's note:**_

**_I haven't got any real words of wisdom cough today so I'll leave it with a simple request: Please review, I like knowing where I can improve my writing and they really help. And they're nice to read! _**

**_Thank you all for reading. There's not much left, so I'll try and update as soon as I can. I'd say I've one chapter left and an epilogue, so depending on my mood I might post them together._**

_**To my lovely reviewers:**_

**_Lilmione: I think it's an unwritten law in rpgs that enemies are stronger when you fight them first... and have cooler attacks, and have higher hp... Take Yuffie, with her amazing tidal wave attack thing. I was so exited, I opened up her materia slots to find... throw. Throw. Wow. I can do SO much damage with THAT thing! Arrgh. Oh well. shrugs It seems monsters find their humanity once you tame them, and oh! Suddenly your enemies aren't good enough to fry to pieces like he tried to do to you!_**

_**I hated Rinoa! She was so... clingy! Ugh! Squall! Save MEEEEE! ahem Thanks for reviewing again!**_

_**Adhar: I actually updated in a reasonable length of time for once! Thanks a million for reviewing, next chapter should be up soon!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Cloud ran frantically to reach him, but by then it was far too late. Light exploded from inside the box and spread out far and wide, as if it had some obsessive need to fill the black cloudy sky. As it enveloped him his world was plunged into an eerie silence. A woman in pink materialised before him. His panic quelled slightly and he stopped, taking in her beauty, as she was haloed by the light. He wondered briefly was she made of light. It suited her.

"Let's go, Cloud," her echoing voice whispered, offering her hand to him. His own hand seemed to reach out of its own accord. She smiled; it was hauntingly real. "I'll take you to the Promised Land."

"No," he said sharply to her, but more to himself. With great difficulty Cloud took one laboured step back and lowered his hand. "No, I can't go yet. I won't go yet! You're not real!"

She disappeared. The light faded, and Cloud's body felt like it was ripping in two. Blood flowed freely from his arm, and as his vision blurred he redoubled his grip on his sword.

One by one each of the children were falling. Denzel's trance was deeper than ever. There was a serene look on his face, as if he thought the world didn't exist. Cloud shook him but it was no use; slowly, the boy's legs gave way and he fell. Cloud caught him and gently lay him down.

Kadaj was holding the box with shaky, uncontrollable hands. His face was a picture of surprise and fear of the unknown. Though the light had faded to a great degree, it was still inside the box, pulsating quietly. Cloud noticed numbly that the pain in his arm was in the same rhythm as it.

Small spheres of light rose from each child's body and floated toward the box. Each one was absorbed after every pulse, to which the box grew brighter and soon began to sound like a heartbeat.

Cloud was rooted to the ground. The pain was getting worse as each light was taken in. He suddenly realised that all the kids like he had geostigma, and that maybe this light was the same pain trying to break out of him.

The last bead of light was absorbed, and the box blew apart. His arm also exploded in a new type of agony and he crashed to the ground, unable to stand.

"Mother!" Kadaj yelled, his shock evident. The light appeared to take on a bird-shaped form and flew up his outstretched arms. It hovered at his face for a second before diving into his chest. The boy screamed and clawed at his skin, trying to get whatever it was back out of his body.

Cloud's pain subsided as the light disappeared. He stood up slowly, shakily... to stare into the eyes of Sephiroth.

"It's been a long time, Cloud," he said in his deep, condescending voice. The blond warrior lifted his sword just in time to block a crushing slice from the General's Masamune. Apparently the transformation had affected Kadaj's Souba as well. Cloud was knocked back with the force of the blow. Sephiroth laughed as he watched him get back to his feet.

"You've become weaker," he commented offhandedly. "Not been training at all have we?" His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"Shut up," he snapped.

"Oh, how original." Their swords met again in a ferocious clash, making Cloud's hands jitter. Sephiroth relentlessly executed attack after attack and it was all Cloud could do to defend. His body was weak and tired and he knew his formal idol knew that as well.

"Why are you here?" he demanded, twisting to the side and attempting his first attack. The silver-haired general brushed his sword away as if it were made of paper.

"I was called by Mother," he said, looking somewhat bored. "She wants order restored to the world."

"What's going to happen to the planet?"

"You're not going to live to find out," he replied, slicing his sword forward in a stronger attack than before. Cloud couldn't block it; the Masamune sailed past his guard and pierced his left shoulder. He forced back the cry that threatened to escape his mouth. He would not give him the satisfaction.

"Hmm," Sephiroth said, mildly impressed. "That was headed for your heart. I misjudged you."

"You always had a tendency to do that," he replied as he felt himself sag against the steel, though his mind was begging him to do otherwise. He couldn't fight anymore, his body wouldn't let him. Where had all his strength gone to? There was nothing, he had nothing left.

Sephiroth slid the Masamune out of Cloud's shoulder. He noticed numbly that his blood was spun across it as intricately as a spider's web. It was all he could do to hold his sword, even if it was held at his side.

"Pity," he said, shaking his head mockingly from side to side. "I thought the man that killed me could at least manage something more impressive."

Cloud breathed heavily, drawing in laboured gasps of oxygen. He winced as the sword pierced his side. Sephiroth could have killed him many times over by now. He was just drawing it out for his own sadistic pleasure.

"Tell me," he ordered. "What do you want most in this world?"

A beautiful woman appeared in his mind, lit by the eerie light of the trees of the forgotten capital. She smiled before she ran off.

"_Then, I'll be going now. I'll come back when it's all over."_

His eyes burned with anger and he swung his sword up quickly with strength he never knew he had. Sephiroth saw it coming too late; it ran straight through his chest.

"You bastard," he said through gasps. "You already took... what I wanted most... away from me."

Despite his injuries Sephiroth laughed. He coughed; crimson blood spattered onto Cloud's clothing.

"Then I'm glad," he smirked, before closing his eyes. Light started to glow inside him and burst from his chest like a fireball. It rose higher and exploded into small beads of light which returned to the children. Both Kadaj and Sephiroth had disappeared. Cloud heaved a sigh of relief as he saw the colour go back into Denzel's cheeks. His sword suddenly felt very heavy so he dropped it. It hit the ground with a loud clang.

"Cloud!" he heard a feminine voice shout. He turned to face Tifa. She looked extremely confused.

"What happened? First I was fighting Loz and then he collapsed and turned into light which-"

Cloud fell to his hands and knees.

"Cloud!" she screamed, and ran to where he was. His breath was coming in heaving rasps.

"It's...okay," he said. "I've just, lost... a lot of blood, that's all."

"Look at you, you're hurt really badly. What happened here?"

"Sephiroth... reunion." It was an effort to say the words. "Denzel's... safe, Teef."

Tifa knelt on the ground and lay him down. Cloud's eyes were drooping. She knew he was fighting to stay awake.

"Thank you," she said. Cloud half smiled.

"Guess...it's the least...I could do," he replied. The pauses between his words were ever increasing. "Being away...so long."

Tifa grabbed his hand. A tear slipped from her eyes, which she closed. She stayed like that for several seconds before opening them again and looking at him with the brightest smile she could manage.

"Go," she whispered. Cloud's eyes misted with confusion, but he soon realised what she meant and nodded.

He closed his eyes.

The rest of the Avalanche team burst through the door of the roof.

"Tifa! Cloud!" yelled Cid. "We got here as fast as we-" he stopped shortly. The rest of the group stopped as well, and looked to where Cid's gaze was frozen.

Tifa was kneeling beside Cloud. She hesitantly let go of his hand and slowly bent down and kissed his forehead. She then stood up to face the rest of the group. Tears were cascading down her face, but no matter how many times she wiped her eyes they wouldn't stop.

"No," Yuffie whispered in disbelief. Cid laid his hand on her shoulder in both comfort to her and as a way to steady himself. Barret took a few steps toward Tifa.

"Barret," was all she could manage. Her voice cracked. She buried her face in his chest, while he held her tightly.

**Authors note:**

**A few things I wanna say. I didn't edit this chapter as much as I usually do, so please, if you spot a mistake, tell me so I can correct it. Thank you.**

**The line "I'll take you to the promised land" I actually got from Kingdom Hearts. It comes just before Sephiroth uses his Meteor attack. Sin Harvest I hated much...MUCH more however. It took me ages to beat him, but once I –finally- did, I beat him three times in a row after that. The irony!**

**Sorry. (Especially you Foi!) I meant to update before I went on holiday, but I didn't, and things happened afterwards to me that further delayed this update. I was hurt and upset and not in the mood, frankly. But still, sorry. For those that are curious, I went to Hungary. But you probably weren't, lol.**

**I am determined to post the epilogue within a week. It's short, so it shouldn't take too long. Thanks for reading everyone. Reviews welcomed. **

_**Now for the reviewers:**_

_**Adhar: The flashback? Yeah, I was actually wondering whether I would put it in or not, as it was compromising the pace of the story. A lot of that was heavily influenced by on the way to a smile, in the case of Tifa. But thanks for reviewing once again, and I hope you like the end!**_

**_Foi: I'm so, so sorry, Foi-san! bows I really did want to update quickly but... it didn't work that way, obviously. laughsI think you got your answer about the Cleris scene. I thought briefly that it was a cliff-hanger, but it left my head just as fast! I promise that the last bit will be up soon! If not, you can...um, flame me! Thanks for reviewing._**

_**lilmione: Thank you again for such a detailed review. They are so helpful, and you bring things up that I never even considered. It might sound stupid but it made me so happy to think my story has more than one interpretation. **_

_**Rinoa had pretty clothes. I'll give her that at least. I got the Sims 2 recently, and I downloaded a Rinoa, Squall, Tifa, Cloud and Aeris! It was so funny because Cloud and Aeris got married, and any conversation that Cloud had with Tifa went bad! And it wasn't my doing! It just naturally progressed that way! Thanks for reviewing lilmione!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Epilogue:**

It was the second time in as many days that Cloud had woken up to everything being white. This white was different though. It wasn't like the hospital, where everything was definite to a point of being cold. This white was warm and soft. It made him feel very safe, which was an odd feeling to say the least. His whole life he had spent on edge, always expecting some sort of ambush. He didn't know why but he felt that there was nothing going to attack him here.

He sat up. The ground was full of long rolling grass, dotted with wildflowers. It reminded him of the sloping hills on the south side of Nibelhiem. Was he home? But he knew the answer to that straight away. If he wasn't home though, then where was he? Curiosity beat his longing to lazily lie there for the rest of the day and he reluctantly got to his feet. The meadow seemed endless; he looked in every direction and saw nothing but flowers. Though the sky was white, sunshine lit up everything with a vivid golden glow. It was true. Everything did look more beautiful bathed in sunlight.

He didn't know how long he walked for; minutes, hours, it didn't really matter. What mattered was that at some point in his journey he stopped when he saw a lone figure standing with her back to him. She turned around as if hearing his approach. Her pink dress rustled slightly with the movement and her braided hair caressed her neck as it fell behind her. Rays of sunlight only enhanced the radiance of her smiling face as she laughed, emerald eyes sparkling with a contentment Cloud barely remembered. She lifted a braceleted hand and waved.

A wind picked up and seemed to blow towards her, almost like it was showing Cloud the path to take. As if he needed guidance. A smile grew on his face and he quickened his step, faster and faster until he was almost running. She opened her arms out to him and Cloud fell into her amorous embrace.

_No more dreams. Promised Land at last._

**The End.**

**Authors note: **

**Well, that's it. I really wanted to end this happily, so I hope I didn't depress anyone. I told you it was short, lol. But I couldn't have put it with the last chapter, didn't feel right. I can't believe it's been a year since I started, gah, it feels longer. I had a lot of fun writing this, and it's the first full length fanfic I finished on fanfiction, so sniff the memories!**

**Thank you to all my reviewers; crimson queens, Clorith, ff fan, asga, chaosxShion, Inguz, smiley face anonymous reviewer, (somehow won't let me pit it up), lilmione (for reviewing without fail, I'm really grateful), Outfoxed, Adhar, Darkmoon Fleur and last but not least Foi (your first review made me laugh so much, in a good way of course! So thanks) During the past few months sometimes I was looking at a blank page with the utmost contempt that I couldn't put my thoughts into words (...articulate, that's the one!) but whenever a review popped up in my inbox it did two things; number one, it made my day (it really did!) and two, it made me feel that I had to put those thoughts into words as some few people liked it and wanted to read more. So, thank you all from the bottom of my heart.**

**To all of you who favourited, and to all of you that put this story on alerts, thank you. You may not have reviewed, but I knew you were there and that means a lot.**

**And to all that read, I hope you enjoyed. Thank you for taking the time to read this.**

**See you all soon.**

**LastCetra.**

**_To my reviewers: (If anyone reviews I'll use the review reply service, since... this is the end, lol)_**

**_Foi: Yup, my whole, very short chapter is a Cleris scene. No, Cloud is dead. I just didn't want to make it drawn out and a yawn kind of clichéd so I just let him kick the bucket! (That sounded so cruel...) Thanks for reviewing and sticking with me for my fanfic! (Hugs)_**

_**Darkmoon Fleur: New reviewer! Thanks for the review, hope you liked the ending!**_

**_lilmione: I didn't want to make this last chapter, or this fanfic any bit clichéd, so I avoided fluff as much as possible for some reason. Don't get me wrong, I love fluff, but its place wasn't in this story. So, if you didn't cry, I don't mind. (smiles) Cloud has finally found happiness, I think that's enough. Yeah, I killed your Cloud (I loved that actually, "my Cloud"!) so sorry! I haven't got KH2 yet; it's not going to reach the merry shores of the emerald isle until November, or January, so it really annoyed me! I want that game so much! Thanks a million for all your reviews, you've been a star for my confidence and I'm glad you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing. (glomps you and showers you with Cloud and Aeris plushies)_**


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